Constellation of Dragons and Demons
by Hejmdal
Summary: Humanity, dragons and demons are going towards an uncertain future. In order to prevent potential disaster, an allegiance is formed during the Dragon Kings Festival. This will have an influence on everything, as the story unfolds. Rated for swearing and violence (contains spoilers from the manga, NaLu eventually).
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Hey there and welcome to my END theory story thingy :)

Before you start reading there are a few things you might wanna know.

First of all: There will be huge spoilers from the manga, so if you're not up to date with that, I take no responsibility for ruining your knowledge. This story is based on what we know up until chapter 445, because I had to stop at some point (and because it seems like a lot of stuff is gonna happen soon, that might mess up the stuff I've been working on the last few months.

The story happens chronologically and in the beginning of each chapter, there is a section that explains stuff that has happened. A lot of the stuff in these sections is actual canon from the manga, combined with my imagination.

There will be 4 acts or arcs in this story. At first I only used it for my own notes, to keep it all in order, but it kinda seemed nice to keep them as I wrote :3

So yeah! Grab some snacks peeps, you're in for a loooong and emotional ride :D

 **Disclaimer:** Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima

* * *

 **ACT I: Dragons, Demons and Humanity – The Massacre**

 _ **400 years ago ~ Approximately X372**_

 **Chapter 1: First encounter**

 _400 years ago there was a huge and bloody war going on between two factions; humans and dragons. Not only did these two groups battle each other, but dragons was turning on each other, killing former allies._

 _The war was so intense that it left a bloody trail throughout the world. Both sides suffered a lot of casualties, which left a pile of corpses and innocent victims._

 _It all started because there was a disagreement about whether or not humans should be allowed to coexist with the dragons. Those who believed that this ideology was possible formed a new allegiance between dragons and humans. The individuals that opposed to this, formed the other site and from there on the war raged on._

 _As if the scenario couldn't be more dire a new group of people suddenly showed up from out of nowhere. These people were causing havoc wherever they went, using their demonic powers to get what they wanted. But all though this group was causing havoc, it seemed like they were trying to avoid the fight between the humans and dragons. However a certain demon seemed intrigued by the fight and soon he would enter the battlefield..._

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

Igneel was panting after defeating yet another dragon. Fortunately for him it looked like it was the last one nearby, so he had time to take a small break to catch his breath.

 _This has been going on for far too long_ , he thought while turning his head to take in the bloody scenario around him. Corpses of both humans and dragons was sprawled all over the place, soaking the ground in a crimson colour. It was so horrible and disgusting that it seemed more like a nightmare and not reality itself.

As Igneel stood there he noticed a person slowly strolling towards him. There was something off about him, because even though he looked like a regular human, his presence radiated something evil. Something that was far from being anything remotely like a human, but more like another species. Besides that the person had visible horns coming out of his skull and weird markings that looked like tattoos spread all over his body. Furthermore his hands was more like claws, in some aspects resembling his own.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" the dragon's voice boomed towards the creature, who started chuckling.

"Nothing much" he tilted his head to the side and smirked wickedly "Just wanted to see what all the fuss was about, is all"

"What are you?" Igneel growled and narrowed his eyes suspiciously towards the pink haired brat.

"Huh?" the person blinked and stretched his arms lazily above his head "What I am? Hmm... some call me END, it stands for Etherious Natsu Dragneel. You could say that Etherious is my race, so I guess that's what I am? So... yeah my name is Natsu Dragneel and I'm the guild master of Tartaros"

"I see, I've heard about you"

"You have?" the boy's smile widened in enthusiasm "That's neat! What have you heard?"

"According to the rumours you and your guild are all demons created by the black wizard Zeref"

"Yeah! That's right!" the kid laughed enthusiastically "He created each and everyone of us! That's why I created Tartaros because we share the same purpose"

"The same purpose, huh? And what might that be?"

"Hmm?" he looked at Igneel with curiosity "Well to kill Zeref of course. That's the reason he created us and that is our only reason for existing"

"What?" the dragon snarled in anger "Are you telling me your only purpose in life is killing another person?"

"Well yeah!" the demon shrugged lazily.

"Tsch! So your only goal is taking another person's life?"

"Uh-huh" Natsu nodded.

"Then you're a fool!"

"What?" there was a flash of anger in his eyes making them sparkle in an ominous colour.

"I said you're a fool! Look around you, what do you see?"

"Dead people" the demon rolled his eyes impatiently "So what?"

"So what?!" the dragon hissed "How can you say that so casually? Life is more precious than that! All of these corpses could have had a valuable life, but instead it came to an end too soon because of some stupid ideology"

"I don't care about ideology" Natsu snarled "The only thing I care about is killing Zeref"

"You can't possibly exist for such a simple reasoning"

"Ohh yeah? Well too fucking bad!" the demon growled "Yooou just have to deal with it!"

"No! I can't ignore it when a person tries to throw his life away for something so stupid!"

"I don't give a fucking damn about what you think, idiotic meat head!" Natsu cracked his knuckles in intimidation "You know what you're getting on my nerves, so bring it on!"

"Violence isn't the solution you stupid brat!" Igneel dodged the pink haired kid as he came flying in his direction with a clenched fist covered with black fire "Are you really so ignorant and selfish?"

"Yes I am!" Natsu wiggled his tongue teasingly as he jumped from his position, turning mid-air to aim a roundhouse kick towards the dragon. Igneel groaned in annoyance and slammed his gigantic claw against the kid, making sparkles fly in all directions from the impact fly.

Natsu let out a battle cry as he used the claw as a catalyst to jump higher up into the air, where he raised one of his arms behind his head.

"You're such a kid" Igneel muttered as he let out a deafening roar and shot a huge amount of bright flames in the demons direction. The kid let out an intense scream as the flames hit him, making him twist and turn in what looked like agony, as he fell to the ground.

For some reason the yell from the kid grew in volume, until it was suddenly replaced with a howling laughter.

"Just kidding" Natsu chuckled darkly while opening his mouth and to the dragon's surprise the kid ate the flames.

"How is that possible?" Igneel wondered out loud.

"What?" Natsu crooked his eyebrow defiantly "I have an affinity with flames. It's pretty cool isn't it?"

"Hmm..." Igneel hummed in a lazy voice, clearly not that impressed with Natsu.

"Oy!" the demon pointed his finger accusingly at the dragon "Don't you hmm me! I'll show you how amazing my fire is!" Black flames was suddenly covering the kid's body "See?"

Sighing Igneel turned his head to the side, feigning interest in the other person.

"Hey!" Natsu's eyes bulged in surprise "Stop being a shit head and look in my direction!"

"You're such a brat..."

"So what if I am? You're just an annoying and ugly dragon!"

"Say that again!"

"You're ugly!"

"You're calling me the almighty Igneel ugly?!"

"Yeah!"

Igneel once again sent flames in the kids direction, but Natsu easily evaded it, chuckling like he was having the best time of his life.

 _So the brat enjoyed fighting, huh?_

The dragon dodged an attack from his opponent and swung his tail at the kid, who was caught mid-air from the attack, making him skid against the ground a second later. Once the tail swish stopped the kid jumped backwards and took a deep breath making his cheeks bulge before he sent a huge amount of black flames towards the dragon. The flames hit Igneel and to his surprise it actually stung a bit.

 _What was with those flames?_

Snorting the dragon launched himself against the kid with teeth sparkling from the flames that was about to emerge from his mouth.

Natsu was chuckling when he ran away from the attack, that was following his moving body. When the flames vaporised from the dragon's mouth Igneel once again raised his claw, because the kid was coming against him with a clenched fist covered with black flames. Once again the claw and the kid collided and once more the impact sent sparkles flying. They kept pushing against each other using all of their force in that one encounter.

"Hey kid" Igneel asked in a serious tone.

"What?"

"You're having fun aren't you?"

"Yeah so what?"

"Then can you still honestly say that there is nothing else in your life, that is important besides your one goal?"

"Well..." Natsu sounded somewhat baffled "... I... sure!"

"Let me ask you another question then"

"You're really annoying..." the demon sighed impatiently.

"Did you only create that guild of yours, so you could join forces against Zeref? You didn't have another motive, like perhaps seeking company that are like-minded with yourself"

Natsu's eyes widened momentarily in what looked like surprise "Tsch, you aren't making any sense lizard"

"I'm a dragon not a lizard you insolent brat! But back to the point! You created that guild of yours because you were lonely! Isn't that true? You needed company because it was hard carrying the burden of killing Zeref on your own"

Natsu seemed to be thrown off guard for a second which Igneel took to his advantage, as he used his claw to smash the kid against the ground, making the rocks underneath him crack and splinter.

The brat underneath his claw was panting and staring defiantly at the dragon. But there was also a hint of something else... like there was this lingering sadness and pain deep inside of him.

"You have more in life than death Natsu, why can't you see that?"

the demon's mouth formed a straight line, but it looked like it was trembling ever so slightly. A sigh of frustration escaped the dragon's mouth as he removed his claw. Natsu didn't do anything at first, but after a moment he staggered to his feet with his head lowered, making it impossible to see his face.

"Why are you so defiant to listen to reason?" Igneel asked in a concerned voice "A life that is filled solely with death, is not a worthy way to live..."

The demon snapped his head up and glared at the dragon with eyes sparkling with menace and anger.

"Okay you know what..." Natsu's voice was hoarse and dripping with hatred "... fuck it!" he swung his arm demonstratively to the side "You're telling me that living with the sole reason of taking another person's life isn't worth living, right? Then go on! Kill me! If you're so sure that it's SO bad to only have one purpose in life then do it! Kill me!"

The demon was shaking visibly from anger and defiance, as he stared challengingly at his opponent.

Igneel sighed impatiently "I can't do that"

"Why not?!"

"Because that would be a contradiction to the things I just told you. As I said life is more precious than that"

"Ugh! You know what? If that's how you want to play, then fine! I'm just gonna kill you!"

Natsu was about to attack when someone suddenly appeared behind him and grabbed his shoulder.

"I can't allow you to do that" the person said.

A growl escaped Igneel's lips "You..." the dragon snarled "You must be Zeref"

"Igneel the mighty fire dragon" Zeref nodded in acknowledgement "So we meet at last"

"Tsch!" Natsu snorted as he took a few steps away from Zeref. He stood there turning his head to glare at them in turn before letting out an annoyed groan "You know what I don't have time for this shit!"

The demon started stomping away leaving the dark mage and the dragon alone.

"What are you doing here?" Igneel said in a deep and threatening tone.

"Humans... dragons... none of them matter to me"

"What?"

"I don't care who lives and who dies... however the dragons era will end soon"

"Tsch" Igneel snorted, thoroughly annoyed by the cryptic mage.

"You'll see..." Zeref turned his head to the side and glared into the distance, in the direction Natsu had left "... maybe it isn't today or even tomorrow but soon enough. Why? Because humans are treacherous beings... they live their lives with meaningless goals, that they try to achieve by fighting and using violence to destroy everything"

"Says the person who created a demon to be his own assassin" Igneel snorted.

Zeref nodded "I myself have used desperate methods to ensure the future of this world. That I can't deny, but that doesn't matter, not as long as the fate of this world is secured from evil beings such as myself"

"You're quite narrow-minded aren't you?"

"What makes you say that?" he sounded surprised.

The dragon sighed "Just like that brat you created, you see the world in black and white. But it isn't that simple. Not everything is concealed in darkness... people and creatures... everyone has a certain amount of their soul that is pure, because every living thing has the ability to love"

The mage chuckled "Sadly not all humans are like that" he shook his head "Some are so impure that they will never know what real light or love is. All they know is hatred and the only way to reach their goals is through darkness and death"

"No, you're wrong... all humans have a tiny flame of hope inside of them. It is with this hope that they are capable of knowing and loving others. It's true that a lot of people and creatures carry a heavy burden of darkness inside, but if they are given the chance then that flame of hope can grow, making them open to feel love"

"You're a fool... an optimistic and old fashioned fool" the mage shook his head.

"I'm not..." he pointed in Zeref's direction "... even that brat you created carries hope and if he allowed, or even dared to acknowledge it himself, then he would also be capable of doing good things"

"Hmm..." the dark mage scratched his chin in thought "I don't think it is as simple as you say it is. But you've got me interested... I might not look like it but I really want the best for him... so maybe some day..." he turned around and started walking away "... maybe we'll met again" he cast a glance over his shoulder towards the dragon "Igneel the king of fire dragons"

Igneel narrowed his eyes as he watched the mage disappear "Yeah maybe..."

And with that Igneel had his first encounter with both a demon and a dark mage. He couldn't know for sure if he would met them again, but something told him that he would. For better or for worse...

* * *

 **A/N:** I'm so sorry for making this chapter so heavy, with the talk and stuff. I just needed to lay the basics for the events that starts happening.

So why do I think END/ Natsu uses black flames? Well because Zancrow stated that it was an ancient and lost magic. Also Natsu hasn't learned Dragon Slayer magic yet, so I think it's safe to assume it would be different somehow.

But yeah, that was chapter one! Hope you liked it :)


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima

* * *

 **ACT I: Dragons, Demons and Humanity – The Massacre**

 _ **400 years ago ~ Approximately X372  
**_

 **Chapter 2: Fateful decision**

 _The war between the dragons and humans eventually came to an end. There had been too many casualties on both sides and the pain would forever be etched into the memories of the survivors._

 _Bad things had happened during the war and had lead to something even more horrifying to suddenly appear._

 _Achnologia..._

 _Once he was a human Dragon Slayer, but after going on a killing spree against dragons and bathing in his victims blood, he had somehow overused his magic, which unfortunately turned him into a dragon. After that Achnologia proclaimed that he was the Dragon King and was above all other creatures. That was the reason the war had been named the Dragon King Festival and it would forever be a dark event that would be etched into history._

 _But even though bad things happened, something good came out of it too. The survivors made a contract with each other called the Magna Carta and that would ensure fair rights to both humans and dragons. In that way the dragon's swore to protect the humans, who in turn promised not to use their powers to slaughter the dragons. It was a huge development in the rights for both dragons and humans, because it ensured them that no one would reign the land with unlimited powers. Besides it made it possible for the dragons and humans to coexist._

 _Unbeknownst to the humans and dragons another thing happened at the same time, making the guild Tartaros disappear from existence. No one had seen the guild for the rest of the war, nor did they cause a huge havoc as they had done during the horrible event._

 _What they did not know was that the dark mage Zeref had approached the guild and turned a lot of the strongest demons into books. His reasoning for this action was that he would wait until the time was right. For now he would have faith in humanity and hope that it could somehow restore itself. And for that to happen the demons needed to vanish. It wasn't their time after all..._

 _So with that in mind Zeref found himself walking towards a goal, that might be the solution to a brighter future..._

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

Igneel let out a sigh as he glared at the dragons around him. Grandeeney, Metallicana, Weisslogia, and Skiadrum all of them was no longer a part of this world. Achnologia had made sure of that when he ripped their souls out of their bodies and slaughtered their remains. Which essentially meant they were all spirits and none of them knew what to do about the whole situation.

"So what now?" Igneel asked the other dragons who stared back at him unsure of how to answer that question.

"I guess we'll just have to wait and see" Grandeeney smiled warmly "And have faith in the future"

"As always you make a speech about faith" Metallicana smirked knowingly at the other dragon.

"Shut up!" Igneel growled feeling utterly impatient "Someone is coming"

They all turned and saw a person wearing black clothes approaching.

"Zeref" Igneel muttered in a low voice.

"The dark mage?" Grandeeney asked in curiosity.

"Yes" the fire dragon nodded.

"Igneel" Zeref said when he was within talking distance "It saddens me to see what has become of you"

"Tsch, I don't need your pity" the fire dragon snorted.

"Do you remember what you told me during the war?" the dark mage asked "About having faith in humanity?"

"Yes, what of it?"

"If I said that one day humans will face a great villain, that is stronger than anything you have ever encountered, would you still believe that they could unite and save themselves?"

"I do" Igneel nodded "If something is a tread to the humans, they will do whatever they can to protect what is dear to them"

"Then let me be frank with you. In the future the humans will have to face the demons I created. I do not know when, but they will when the time is right"

"So..." Igneel spat in annoyance "... why are you telling me this?"

"Because I want to ask if you think it's possible, that the dragons can have a positive influence on the future against the demons"

"What is this all about Igneel" Weisslogia asked as he turned his head towards the other dragons.

"I've heard about these demons and the dark mage Zeref" Skiadrum said before Igneel got a chance to answer.

"Me too and it ain't pretty..." Metallicana snickered momentarily "... wait are you saying that this little shrimp is Zeref?!"

"It would seem so" Grandeeney smiled towards the metal dragon.

"To answer your question Zeref" Igneel groaned "I do believe the dragons can have a positive influence, if the humans are willing to accept our help"

"I see" the dark mage nodded "then I have a proposition for you"

"What proposition?"Igneel's voice was filled with scepticism.

Zeref reached into his cloak and fetched a book "This contains the strongest demon I have ever created. As you know he is destined to kill me one day"

"... how do you store someone in a book...?" Skiadrum wondered out loud to no one in particular.

"Ohh that brat..." Igneel snickered and suddenly felt annoyed "... what does that have to do with me?"

"Nothing and everything I suspect, because it all depends on the important question that concerns his personality" Zeref said and stared at the book in his hand.

"What do you mean?" the fire dragon asked.

"Etherious Natsu Dragneel is half human and half demon. That means he might be the answer to the fight between the two factions. When the time comes that is... So you dragon's now stand with a choice, which could possibly help save humanity"

"I'm not sure I follow your logic" Grandeeney asked "How can we possibly do anything in our state?"

"That is simple" Zeref turned to look at the sky dragon "Even though you're spirits, the magic you had when you were alive was so vast, that it can sustain your form for a limited time. So for now you have a physical form"

"I see" Weisslogia nodded.

"Yes" Zeref said "So my proposition for you, is that you find suitable students you can share your knowledge with, before your existence I erased for good. Then when the time is right I will summon you to the future"

"How is that even possible kiddo?" Metallicana smirked to himself feeling somewhat smart.

"I will take care of it, if you choose to follow this path" Zeref looked at each dragon in turn "So what do you say?"

"Are there any consequences if we do this?" Weisslogia asked.

"I can't see anyone other than we have to raise a child and teach them our knowledge" Grandeeney answered "Besides what else is there for us to do right now?"

"You have a valid point" Weisslogia nodded "And we would help in keeping the promise made in the Magna Carta. Very well I will participate"

"So will I" Grandeeney smiled warmly towards the other dragons "Whatever the future holds, I want to make sure it's a world where all humans can live peacefully"

"Tsch!" Metallicana snorted "If the idiotic flame dragon is in on it, then so am I"

"Watch out who you call an idiot" Igneel growled in anger "Or I might have to beat some sense into you"

"What is your answer Igneel?" Zeref asked seriously "Do you stand by your words you told me and believe in humanity?"

"Yeah, yeah I guess I have to don't I?" Igneel groaned in defeat "But you know that you're telling ME the great Igneel to raise a human child?"

"Ohh don't say it like that" Grandeeney turned her head towards the fire dragon "You love humans so I'm sure it'll be a piece of cake for you"

"... you clearly haven't seen how disgusting human kids can be..." Igneel grumbled to himself.

"Very well" Zeref nodded "I want you to find your students and come to the Eclipse Gate on the 7/7"

"So a month from now?" Igneel asked.

"Yes..." the dark mage answered "... but before I leave there is another thing I need of you Igneel"

"What?"

"Since you were the one who told me that you had so much faith in humanity, I will give you the task of raising him"

"Who?" the fire dragon crooked an eyebrow in suspicion.

"You'll see" the dark mage smirked almost teasingly, as he opened the book in his hands. There was a light radiating from it, blinding the dragons surrounding it. A second later a person suddenly emerged from inside of the light. As the person came into existence, the light started to vaporise until it was gone.

Igneel blinked a few times as the effects of the blinding light vanished, making him stare with huge and surprised eyes at the pink haired demon.

"Eh?!" the fire dragons eyes bulged as he pointed towards the kid "What is HE doing here?"

"Eh?!" Natsu's eyes bulged as well as he pointed towards the dragon "What is HE doing here?!"

"Unfortunately this isn't the time for you two to have a happy reunion" Zeref groaned impatiently "So that will have to wait"

"What are you talking about?" Natsu turned to stare at the dark mage.

"I don't need to explain myself to you" sighing Zeref made a few hand signals, while chanting something and suddenly the markings on Natsu's body started to move.

"What are you doing?" the demon asked bewildered by the events.

"This isn't your time" the dark mage said in a sad tone.

The markings on Natsu's body kept moving, until only the lower part of his right arm was covered. Once there it started glowing.

"What is this? What's happening?!" Natsu roared as an intense pain shot through his arm where the markings were, making him scream in agony "Stop this!"

The meat underneath the markings was being torn apart, making blood freely stream down the demon's arm. It was so painful that Natsu started heaving for air, while simultaneously twitching from the agony he was feeling.

"What is the meaning of this?" Grandeeney hissed "You're hurting him!"

Zeref didn't answer but kept staring at the demon, who suddenly feel to his knees, landing in a puddle of his own blood.

Once more the markings started to radiate, but this time the markings slowly started to remove itself, as it ripped itself off the demon's skin.

As the markings started to fly into the thin air, it turned into tiny glistening droplets, mixed with the blood from the demon. It took some time but eventually all markings was gone from Natsu's arm and flowing in the air, where it started to form into one massive liquid looking ball.

Zeref motioned with his hand and the ball suddenly popped, making it vanish from existence. His book however started glowing and pulsating in a weird way, almost as if it was alive. A sigh escaped the dark mage's lips as he closed the book in his hands, and as he did the glow vanished too.

Natsu was still sitting on his knees facing the sky through clouded eyes. His body was frozen stiff and his mouth was open as if he was still screaming in agony.

Suddenly the boy's contours started to become more vague and blurry, until all of him seemed to shiver. There was a flash of light and a weird almost unpleasant cracking sound, as the demon's frame vanished entirely and was replaced with something a lot smaller.

All of the dragons glared curiously, because they were suddenly staring at very tiny human child. It didn't look like he was more than perhaps three or four years old. Other than that he had spiky unruly pink hair and onyx coloured eyes. Physically he looked fine too, there was no markings or even a droplet of blood from the wounds he had received earlier.

The tiny human turned his head from side to side, and started rubbing his eyes tiredly.

"Wh... where...?" the kid sniffed as he glared at the huge dragons. It took a few seconds for him to comprehend the situation but once he did, he let out a terrified scream and started crying, with huge fat tears streaming down his chins.

"What's his problem?" Metallicana winched at the annoying sound.

"He's scared!" Grandeeney hissed towards the metal dragon "There, there human child" she tried comforting the kid but it only made him cry even louder.

Zeref exhaled as he kneeled down in front of the deeply troubled child "Natsu, are you scared?"

"Mmm..." Natsu let out a whimpering sound, as he turned his head towards the dark mage.

"It's going to be okay, the dragons won't harm you, I promise"

Natsu blinked a few times with his huge eyes "Really?"

"Yes" Zeref smiled in encouragement.

"Mmm..." Natsu rubbed his eyes for a few seconds before he suddenly wrapped his tiny arms around the other person's torso, hugging it like it was the only safe place in the world.

Natsu whimpered once more as he tried to hide his head against Zeref's chest.

The situation was so weird and unknown to Zeref that he froze. He hadn't been this close to a human being in ages, because he was afraid what might happen. Sure he wanted to be acknowledged just like every other creature would, but couldn't get that luxury because of his dark magic. That was why being hugged was such an alien thing to him, making him feel rather perplexed.

As the kid kept hugging him tightly there was a sudden unknown but warm feeling spreading inside of the dark mage. Zeref had never experienced in a long time...

 _Hope... It felt like hope..._

A sigh escaped the dark mage's lips and he felt how his own insecurity vanished, making him pat the kid very on his back.

"Natsu" the dark mage said in a gentle voice.

"Mmm" the child grumbled.

"Listen to me I need you to be strong okay?"

"Wh... why?" the kid turned his head and glared at Zeref with huge tear filled eyes.

"Because from now on Igneel is going to take care of you"

"Me?!" Igneel roared in surprise, making Natsu so scared that he quickly crawled inside of Zeref's cloak, in order to hide himself from the big scary dragon.

"Igneel will you be quiet you're scaring the poor child" Grandeeney hit the other dragon with her tail behind their backs, making the fire dragon hiss in pain and surprise. The wind dragon ignored this however as she lowered her head towards the human and the dark mage.

"Don't be scared my child, we are quite harmless" she smiled warmly "Can you tell me your name?"

The child sniffed a few times and slowly popped his head out from inside Zeref's cloak "N... Na... Natsu..."

"Such a pretty name you have. My name is Grandeeney it's a pleasure to meet you"

"Uhm..." blinking he lazily rubbed his eyes to remove some lonely tears "Nice to... to... meet you too..."

"Are you scared?"

"Uh-huh" he nodded vaguely.

"So tell me, do you by any chance like dogs or maybe cats?"

"Ca.. cats.. I... like cats"

"Well think of us like giant cats" she chuckled "We aren't soft and furry, but we are very loyal to our family"

"Giant... cats?" Natsu sobbed as he glared at the huge dragon.

"Yes" the wind dragon nodded.

"But... cats... can't speak"

"You are right my dear" her smile widened "But we are magical creatures, that's why we can speak"

"Magical?" his eyes lid up making him glide out of Zeref's cloak and take a few steps forwards.

"Indeed we are and so are you"

"I am?" Natsu smiled enthusiastically.

"Yes you are. You're a very special kid and that's why you have to go live with Igneel"

"But..." the kid's spirit lowered considerably, making his shoulders drop "... he... is mad"

"Ohh this old thing?" the wind dragon smirked warmly "He's just hungry... sometimes he loses his temper when he's like that"

"I..." there was a blush on Natsu's cheeks "I get... mad... when I'm hungry too"

"You see? You two aren't so different after all" Grandeeney gently started nudging the kid in Igneel's direction, with her snout "Now go on and say hi to him. He isn't so scary once you get to know him"

"But... but..."

Natsu froze in horror because he was suddenly standing in front of the big fire dragon.

"Natsu..." Igneel lowered his head to his level.

"Ye-yes?"

"Are you scared?"

"Mm-hm" he nodded.

"I'm sorry kid, I didn't mean to scare you like that"

"Is... is..." Natsu glared at his feet nervously "... kay... you... you're hungry..."

Igneel laughed "I am, yes"

"Uhm..." Natsu blinked and suddenly put his finger up his nose. He stood there evidently digging after a bogey until he found a big one "... mmm..." muttering the kid stared at the slimy substance that was covering his finger.

"What are you doing?" Igneel raised his eyebrow in curiosity.

"He-here..." Natsu pointed his snot covered finger towards the dragon with blushing cheeks.

"Are you trying to give me your snot?" the dragon's eyes twitched in disgust.

"... kids are disgusting..." Metallicana muttered to himself.

"Yeah... you.. you're hungry?" the kid blinked not understanding why the dragon was even asking him that question.

Igneel started laughing wholeheartedly, making Natsu jump in surprise because of the loud volume.

"Sorry kid but I don't eat stuff like that. But thanks for offering"

"Uhm..."

"Do you want to see something cool?"

"Yeah?"

The fire dragon smiled as he raised his head "Watch this" he started spewing fire up into the sky. It was so bright it illuminated a huge part of the heaven. As the fire hit the wind in the sky, it was sent flying in a lot of different direction, making it look like the fire turned into shooting stars of fire.

"Wooow!" amazed and astonished Natsu glared with huge glistening eyes at the sky, until Igneel eventually stopped his show.

"It's been a long time, since I saw that" Weisslogia said in a stoic tone.

"Yes it has" Skiadrum nodded.

"It's still just as ugly as that stupid flamehead" Metallicana chuckled teasingly.

Igneel ignored the dragon's taunting and turned his head towards the kid.

"You liked that Natsu?" the fire dragon asked while lowering his head.

"YESSS! IS... I... AAMM... WAUUU!" the tiny kid stuttered and started bouncing on the spot while squealing "COOOL!"

"Would you like to learn fire magic?"

"Yeah!" Natsu clenched his fist in determination "Fire is... the best!"

"Then I think we'll get along fine, because I can teach you how to use fire"

"Really?" his eyes was huge with stars sparkling in anticipation "Promise?"

"I promise"

"YAAARSH!" Natsu ran all he could on his tiny legs until he was close enough to wrap his arms around the dragon's snout "You-you-you-you... you! The... are you the are... best!"

Igneel laughed wholeheartedly at the kid's rambling and instantaneously knew, that he would like him. There was just something about the kid, that made his heart melt.

"Igneel" Zeref voice shocked Igneel because he had almost forgotten about the dark mage.

"What is it?" he countered.

"I trust you with the upbringing of this child. When the time comes we'll see if your high hopes in humanity is justified. For now we will part ways..."

"Yes..." Igneel nodded "What will you do now?"

"I have to go into a slumber to restore my strength. The whole ritual took a lot of my energy... and then I can assure you, that I will make my next move"

"I see..."

"We will meet again in the future..." Zeref turned around and started walking away.

"Yeah see ya" Igneel grumbled.

Grandeeney, Weisslogia, and Skiadrum nodded towards the wizard while Metallicana made a hooting sound.

Natsu was eager about the prospect of learning fire magic, but quickly seemed to grasp the situation and turned around to stare at the departing mage.

"Wa... wait!" he jumped down from Igneel's snout and started running towards the other mage. But unfortunately for Natsu, Igneel grabbed his tiny body and held him inside his huge claw, prevented him from moving any further.

"I'm sorry kid but you have to stay here" the fire dragon said in a low but warm voice.

"No... but..." he started struggling against the claw "WAIT!"

"He has to go Natsu"

"NO!" the kid tried kicking, biting, hitting but nothing had any effect "COME BACK!"

"Natsu! Why are you acting like this?" Igneel held back a growl.

"Because..." tears was once more streaming down Natsu's face "... he's lonely... he..." his voice cracked "... all alone... he... should come back..."

Zeref kept walking without turning around.

"... please... come back..." Natsu started sobbing in a more audible voice "... please..." his sob turned into a long high-pitched cry in grief, as the mage became invisible in the distance.

The crying child was so unbearable and heartbreaking that it left all the dragons speechless as the kid continued to scream his heart out.

Zeref wanted to stop when he heard Natsu crying. It was like someone had stabbed him in the heart, making him feel more vulnerable than he had felt in a long time.

 _And Natsu could feel his loneliness hiding under the darkness... very perceptive... or was it perhaps because he unconsciously knew about the bond they shared?_

Chuckling sadly he removed something wet from his face and was rather surprise when he saw it was a watery substance.

"Tears..." Zeref felt baffled for a second as he stared at his hands "... so this is how it feels like..."

His heart was throbbing painfully making him clench one of his hands above it chest "It hurts... doesn't it?"

 _Natsu... rest assured we will met again... I promise..._

* * *

 **A/N:** Natsu as a kid is so freakishly adorable... like... super kawaii!

Anyhow I just wanted to say that there won't be any character deaths (or well some of them has to die eventually), but it will not turn into a slaughter festival, where END/Natsu goes on a rampage and kills all the members from Fairy Tail. I mean I like tragedy and angst, but I'm not gonna step over that fine line, that makes thing too cruel.

Ahem... anyhow, that was it for arc/act 1! (I had totally forgotten how much dialogue was in this arc, but it is needed for future events to happen).

Ohh I almost forgot to mention, that this will be updated whenever I finish an entire act, which means there will be more than one chapter, each time I update.

That's kinda neat, no? ;)

Hope you have a nice day y'all!

/Hejmdal


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima

* * *

 **ACT II: Celestial Guidance – New Beginnings**

 _ **Approximately X764**_

 **Chapter 3: The blonde girl**

 _Time passed by rather quickly for the dark mage Zeref, even though he rummaged the world in solitude. Sometimes he would go into a slumber for a few decades in order to restore his strength. Other times he wandered the earth and bore witness to all the horror and cruelty that mankind delivered to the world. It was devastating and heartbreaking, how humans could keep continuing the same circle of hatred and chaos, leaving a lot of innocent victims. All of them dead as a result from other people's paths they had no influence on. His spirit kept dropping as time went by, in his search for that one specific key to open the gate to the past. Sure there had been potential people, but none of them had sufficient magic in their blood to do the task._

 _Sad, infuriated and lonely the dark mage kept walking his own path, until he one day stumbled across a group of people, who didn't resent him, nor tried to push him away. No, in fact they welcomed him and asked for his advice in how to use magic. They were all nice people, but there was one in particular that earned a warm place in his heart._

 _Mavis Vermillion..._

 _She was the one that somehow restored some of his faith in humanity and heightened his spirit. It had been a wonderful time, but unfortunately he had to leave them. After all he was meant to wander until the right time... and for some reason he was confident that the destined time for action was approaching..._

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

Zeref opened his eyes and stared up at the clear blue sky above him.

He didn't know what year it was, since he had no idea how long his slumber had lasted. Not that it really mattered, the only thing that was important, was finding the key to open the gate to the past.

 _And hopefully this was the right time._

The dark mage truly hoped it would be, because he was getting sick and tired of doing nothing. It was disheartening no matter how he looked at it, especially since it made him feel restless and insecure.

Mavis and her group had momentarily given him a feeling of hope, but just when her light and gently nature had touched his existence, it had vanished again.

A sigh escaped his lips as he slowly got into a standing position.

 _Light and warmth wasn't meant to be in his life after all..._

Zeref stood there glaring into the distance for a couple of minutes or maybe it was a few hours, he couldn't know for sure. His perception of time was so confused and perplexed after being around for so long.

No matter how much time had passed, he eventually shook himself out of his state and started walking, following a path that hopefully lead him in the right direction.

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

The dark mage wandered alone for a few days when he made his first encounter with another human.

It happened rather suddenly and without his own consent, since the other person literally crashed into him, before he knew what was going on.

Zeref had been deep in thought and staring at a huge lake, minding his own business when someone suddenly collided with his back, making him stumble and fall into the water with a splash. Maybe he should have sensed the other person coming, so he could have avoided having a sudden bath, but evidently he didn't.

The dark mage was surprised, as he quickly turned around to stare at whoever had been foolish enough to attack on him. What he saw was a young female girl with long blonde hair. She looked like she was struggling with what to say, since all that escaped her lips was an indistinct sort of stuttering. Other than that her cheeks was blushing fiercely and her body was trembling ever so slightly.

 _Was she scared?_

"Woman" Zeref voice was low and dripping with hidden anger "Why did you do that?"

"I.. I..." the girl stuttered and visibly gulped.

"Well" the mage narrowed his eyes, impatiently waiting for her answer.

"I... I'm so sorry!" she quickly bowed her head "I'm truly sorry! It was an accident!"

Taken aback by her sudden gesture, Zeref just blinked as he kept watching the blonde bowing with her head.

"I was running away from this guy, who has been teasing me all morning" the girl continued, evidently staring at the ground "He can be so rude sometimes and I just... ugh!" she stomped with her foot to show her anger "I really! Really hate him!"

"You... you hate this guy?" the dark mage blinked, feeling somewhat bewildered by her sudden mood change.

"Well yeeeeah, d'uh!" she raised her head and rolled her eyes towards the other mage.

"I see..." Zeref said in a rather gloomy voice "... you're so young but already so consumed in the circle of hatred"

"Huh?" the blonde blinked in confusion "Circle of hatred?"

"Yes, evidently you have already soiled your soul with hatred"

"Ohh, because I said I hate this boy?"

"Yes"

"Ohh come one!" the girl snorted "Just because I said I hate him, it doesn't mean I don't care about him"

"I don't follow your logic"

"It's simple really" she waved with her hand to imply that it really was nothing "I hate him when he's teasing me and being an inconsiderate idiot, but when we're alone he can actually be a pretty cool guy. So... even though I hate him, I don't really feel like that all the time"

"That's... rather confusing..." Zeref rubbed his chin in thought "... so you claim to hate this person, but you like him as well"

"Oy!" the girl was suddenly blushing more fiercely "Don't get any clever ideas! I don't like him like that! He's a friend! Or well he's someone I know and that's it!"

"A friend?" the dark mage blinked.

"Yeah..." she looked at him for a few seconds, clearly in some inner turmoil as she started biting her lips, before eventually gathering enough courage to talk again "Okay I don't know why and maybe I'm being rude, but I get the impression, you don't fully understand what that means"

"I don't..." Zeref stared at the girl "... I can't recall what it feels like to have a friend... if I ever had one... and if I did that was a long time ago..."

"That's... so sad"

"Perhaps..." the dark mage shrugged "I wouldn't know"

"That's it!" the girl nodded to herself in determination.

"What...?"

"I'll be your friend!" she smiled wholeheartedly and reached a hand towards him "Now come on, you'll catch a cold if you stay in the water for too long"

Zeref felt how time seemed to freeze as he glared at the blonde. He didn't know why, but for a split second it was like he could see the gentle nature that he had seen in Mavis radiating from the girl. As it did he saw how the girl's aura seemed to glow and sparkle in an alluring way, making him gasp.

"Who... who are you?" he asked and reached his hand towards hers.

"Layla" her smile widened "What's yours?"

"Zeref" exhaling he grabbed her hand and allowed her to help him out of the water "My name is Zeref"

"Okay then" Layla smiled wholeheartedly "nice to meet you Zeref"

He didn't answer but instead stood glaring into the distance.

"Oy!" the girl pointed her finger accusingly at the dark mage "You're supposed to say it's nice to meet you too!"

Surprised again by her sudden outburst, Zeref winced and nodded with his head "Very well, it's nice to meet you too"

"Good!" Layla chuckled brightly "Now that's out of the way, would you mind telling me, what you're doing here?"

"Doing?" Zeref blinked "I wasn't doing anything"

"Ohh? Well where are you going?"

"Going?"

"Yeah, there must be a reason why you're out here right?" Layla closed her eyes for a second as she tilted her head to the side "and since you're not doing anything in particular, then I guessed you're perhaps travelling somewhere?"

"You could say that" he exhaled and started massaging his temple as if he was suffering from a sudden headache "I'm searching for something"

"Okay, care to be more specific?"

"No"

"... why do I feel like a wall would give me more answers, than this person..." Layla whispered to herself while pouting her mouth.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing!"

"Is that so?" he raised an eyebrow and gave her a suspicious look.

"Yeah totally!" she waved her hands in front of her as if that motion would clarify her statement.

"Very well..." Zeref nodded "... if you really wish to know, I wouldn't mind sharing it with you"

"For reals?"

"Yes" the dark mage stated, trying to ignore how the girl seemed to radiate with happiness all of a sudden.

"Cool!"

"I'm searching for a specific key, to open a portal"

"A key?" the blonde blinked "What sort of key?"

"It's a special key... a certain human being"

"How can a human being be a key?" Layla wondered out loud.

"That is no concern of yours"

"I guess not..." she sounded momentarily defeated but soon lid up again "So who is this person?"

"A celestial mage"

"Really?" her smile widened "You know what? I'm a celestial mage"

"You... what?" Zeref's eyes widened as he looked at the girl.

"Yup!" nodding she placed her hands on her hips "And proud of it!"

"I... see"

"Now that I think about it" she mulled and placed a finger on her lips "I don't think I know or have heard of another person being a celestial mage... heh! Wouldn't it be weird if I was the one you were searching for? I mean talk about fate, huh?"

"Fate..." the dark mage whispered and rubbed his chin in thought "... celestial mage... key... perhaps... yes..."

"Perhaps?"

"Yes..." he nodded and pointed a finger towards her "... perhaps you are the key"

"What?"

Zeref didn't answer right away but instead took a moment to glare intensely at her.

"... uhm..." Layla fidgeted feeling a bit uncomfortable from his stare.

"We need to talk... Layla. Once that's done I'll judge if you are indeed the key that I'm searching for"

"Ohh... uhm... kay?"

"Now then..." Zeref got into a sitting position on the grass and looked rather stoic as he sat there "... let's begin" he motioned with his hand, encouraging the girl to sit beside him, which she did without questioning why.

"So... what do you wanna talk about?" Layla asked curiously and crossed her legs.

"You"

"Me?" she chuckled and pointed at herself "But I'm not that interesting"

"I wouldn't know that, now would I?"

"I guess not..."

"So... please tell me who you are"

"Who I am?" her eyes widened in surprise.

"Yes"

"Uhm... okay... well my name is Layla, I'm 16 years old and I'm a celestial mage... mmm" she turned her head to look at the sky, deep in thought "I'm part of the guild Love and Lucky... I like eating pudding and I hate... well not hate, but I don't like this guy from the guild, because he's so mean to me"

"I see... what about your parents?"

"Well..." Layla said in a low voice and rubbed her arm nervously "... I don't know who my parents are. I mean they left me when I was a baby, so basically I'm an orphan"

"I'm sorry"

"It ain't your fault" she chuckled sadly "That's just how things are... but why do you ask? Is it important?"

"Maybe not... it's just that your presence or aura reminds me of someone"

"Is that a good or a bad thing?"

"I don't know" he shook his head "I guess it's a good thing, because when I was with her, it was like

the brightness of her nature, somehow overshadowed my darkness. Or to be more exact it kept it in check"

"Uh-huh?" Layla blinked, clearly not understanding what the other mage was talking about.

"Maybe that's it... not only can you be around me without dying, at least for a certain amount of time, but it feels like you're quite strong as a mage"

"I'm not the strongest mage" she flexed with her arm, to show her tiny muscle "buuuut I'm okay when it comes to fighting"

"I'm sure you are" Zeref couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm.

"So... who is this person I remind you of?"

"A human called Mavis" he sighed heavily.

"Mavis... so it's a girl?"

"Yes"

"Is she your gii~iirlfriend?" she smirked teasingly.

"She's been dead for a long time now... so no"

"I'm sorry" Layla gasped "I didn't mean to..."

"It doesn't matter... the past is the past so..."

"You know what?"

"What?"

"I don't know if it'll help, but I don't think death is the end. I believe that when we die, our spirit turn into a star, so we can shine down on those we leave behind"

The dark mage chuckled "Since you're a celestial mage, it doesn't surprise me you believe that"

"Oy!" the girl huffed feeling slightly insulted, as she gently knocked Zeref's shoulder "Behave!"

"Why?" Zeref was baffled by her gesture and blinked in surprise "Why did you hit me?"

"Because you don't believe what I said" she pouted in defiance.

"I see... so you hit people, you don't agree with?"

"No! I mean... yes! Sometimes! Ugh! Just forget about it okay?"

"If you say so..."

"I do!"

They sat in silence staring at each other for a few seconds before Zeref broke the silence.

"Anyway..." he coughed into his hand "The question now is, will you help me?"

"Help you with what?"

"I need to open a portal to the past, in order to save the future. But for me to that I need a celestial mage, because only that specific magic can be used as a key. Once that is done I will summon the dragons and the human orphans, as I promised a long time ago"

"Dragons? Orphans? Really?"

"Indeed" he nodded "They have the knowledge of magic that is old but also legendary, and that might save the future, when the demons come back"

"There are demons as well?!"

"Yes and because of that, it is essential to open a passage to the past"

"I see... and in order to do that you need my help"

"Correct"

"Mmm..." she rubbed her chin in thought "Alright, count me in"

"You..." the dark mage gasped in surprise "... you'll help me? Even though I haven't given you all the details. I mean just gathering enough of your magic could take years"

"Yeah sure" she beamed with enthusiasm towards him "I mean if it's to help the future then why not"

"I... see..."

"Yosh!" clenching her fist in determination she jumped into a standing position "Let's do this!"

Zeref didn't say anything, but just nodded.

And with that a new alliance had been formed, that would make a huge impact not only on the future but also the past.

* * *

 **A/N:** Layla is a teenager in this chapter, that's why she acts so "uncharacteristic" and cheerful. Also that's one of the reasons I think she was so easily persuaded into joining Zeref's cause.

Yosh! Time to go edit the next chapter, while I'm still filled with energy and motivation! The next chapter will be up soon, so hang in there kittens! :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima

* * *

 **ACT II: Celestial Guidance – New Beginnings**

 _ **Approximately X772**_

 **Chapter 4: Travelling**

 _In the beginning Layla kept doing her duties as a mage for her guild, but it was soon evident for her that the Eclipse Gate took more of her magic, than she had originally thought. To open the gate without using too much magic, they would need all the unique golden keys, but since they didn't have that, they would have to use her raw magic. It was sufficient yes, but it was hard work since it felt like the gate was somehow tearing on her body, each time she poured some of her magic into it._

 _So it was with a heavy heart she reached the decision to retire as a mage, which essentially meant she had to retire her spirits as well. With that said she distributed her beloved spirits to three different owners, making them promise that if she should one day get a child, then he or she would inherit them. Layla felt sad about it, but she was too determined to keep her promise to Zeref, to back away from the project._

 _The celestial mage stayed at her guild though, because she was starting to find a certain annoying idiot person interesting. Layla didn't know when her feelings towards him changed, but it did and fortunately for her the feeling was mutual. With that the celestial mage found herself in a relationship with Jude Heartfilia in the year X766. After that it didn't take long before they were married and a year later they had their lovely daughter Lucy._

 _Layla was a proud woman and all the time she worked with Zeref, she managed to keep it a secret to Jude. If her husband knew what she was doing, then he might try to prevent her from being involved, because he might think it was too dangerous for her to be involved. She didn't want that to happen, so all though she loved her husband, she could not tell him her secret. No, it would cause more harm than good._

 _In the meantime the dragons in the past each found suitable children and for them the date 7/7 was fast approaching..._

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

Igneel let out a sigh, as he looked down at the sleeping kid that was laying next to him.

It had almost been a month already, so it was about time for them to go to the portal. Which was easier said than done, especially considering that the aftermath of the war was still going on.

Thieves and people searching for easy money was out there rummaging the world, doing whatever they could to gain something from the bloody trails that had marked the earth.

 _Spoils of war..._

Of course it was getting better, since the government was doing their best to re-establish order, but it took more than some pretty words and regulations in the law, to make the world a harmonic place to be in. Sure it would come eventually, but for now it was too dangerous for the dragon, to carelessly wander around.

That was one of the reasons they were hiding in the mountains in a large cave, just him and the idiotic kid. The other dragon's had left after their talk with Zeref, in order to find their own humans, but also because it was more safe not to stay in a large group.

All in all it was easier for all of them if they were separated, after that until they reached the specific time, because it was easier to flee in a small group, but also because it made it easier to be incognito.

So the month had passed by with him and the kid hiding in different caves, switching locations once in a while, to make sure they avoided human scavengers. Usually they would travel at night, because it was easier to prevent unwelcome attention, but also because it would make it more difficult for Natsu to see all of the horror and blood, that was left after the war.

Unfortunately it wasn't enough, because the poor kid could easily smell and see the traumatic scenes, that was displayed underneath the moonlight.

Each times they saw a corpse or encountered a bloody scene, the kid would tremble and cry, because he didn't understand what had happened. And how should Igneel respond to it? Tell him the truth about the war, which his childish mind wouldn't understand? Lie and tell him that sometimes bad things happen and this was all due to a horrible nightmare, that was turned into reality.

 _Well obviously he lied..._

Igneel could feel the sleeping child stirring beside him and a second later a painful whimper escaped his lips, signifying that he was having a nightmare. It happened every now and then, but it was still too often for the dragon's liking.

 _The poor child was traumatised..._

"Kid..." Igneel called out but it only seemed to worsen the child's condition as he started whimpering more loudly "... hey kid, wake up"

The child's breathing was becoming more irregular, on the brink of him hyperventilating.

"Natsu wake up" the dragon gently nuzzled the kid's head encouraging him to wake up.

A high pitched and painful scream escaped the child's mouth as he shot up to a sitting position, where he sat panting, with small drops of sweat suddenly streaming down his face.

"Wha... what?" Natsu turned his head and scanned his surroundings "Where..?"

"It's okay, kid. You're safe" Igneel said in a soothing voice "There ain't nobody out to get you here"

"Ig... neel?" Natsu asked as he stared back at the dragon "... we're safe?"

"Yes"

"Ohh..." a few tears ran down Natsu's cheeks which he immediately tried to remove, as he rubbed his eyes "... I'm sorry..."

"There's nothing to feel sorry for" the dragon chuckled warmly "It was just a nightmare nothing more"

"Yeah..." the kid sulked and sniffled a few times "... but... it was... awful..."

"I know... just try to forget about it, okay?"

"Uh-huh..." Natsu brought his arm up to his nose, and in a quick movement he removed the snot that was threatening to run down his chin "... I..."

"Yes?"

"I'm scared..." his mouth was quivering, from all of his emotions as he took a deep shaking breath "... I'm sorry..."

"Don't be, it's only natural to be scared sometimes" Igneel gently scratched the kid's head "Feelings are important and a huge part of being alive. So don't be scared and don't hide it"

"Re.. really?"

"Of course"

Natsu didn't say anything, but instead just sat there biting his lip, with tears threatening to escape his eyes.

"I..." the kid started but a second later his face twisted in pain, as he committed to the fear and pain he was feeling "I'm sorry" his voice cracked, as he wrapped his arms around Igneel's arm and started weeping like there was no tomorrow.

"There, there..." Igneel said as he gently nudged his snout against the kid "... let it all out okay"

None of them said anything as Natsu cried his eyes out. Not even Igneel when he noticed that, it wasn't only tears but also snot, that was slowly streaming down his arm, from the kid's outburst.

It was disgusting, but Igneel actually didn't mind that much. Which was weird, because he didn't think that he could grow so attached to the kid so fast.

When the crying seemed to stop, Igneel slowly raised his head making the kid look up at him with huge confused eyes.

"Natsu... today is a special day"

"It is?"

"Yes.. today we're going to travel to a certain place"

"Ohh?" he blinked a few times "Where are we going?"

"To a peaceful place, where we can do whatever we want"

The tiny human lid up momentarily "So I can practice magic?"

"Indeed" Igneel nodded. Over the last month he had shown some different things and movements to the kid, but it was too dangerous to do too much, since it might attract attention they didn't want or needed.

"YES!" Natsu cheered and bounced around a few times, clearly enthusiastic about the prospect of learning proper magic "When are we going?"

The dragon let out a heavy breath as he looked at the hyperactive kid "Soon... just give this old dragon a few more hours to sleep, then we'll be on our way..." Igneel pretended to yawn as he placed his head on the ground.

"But... but..." Natsu clenched his tiny fists "... I wanna go now!"

"Sorry ain't happening kid" Igneel smirked and closed his eyes "Goodnight"

"Pleeeeease!" the human pleaded as he quickly ran over and stood in front of the dragon's head "Please, please, please, pleeeeease!"

"No" the dragon chuckled and opened one of his eyes, to look at the kid who was squirming impatiently.

"But... I promise I'll be good! So please!"

Natsu's eyes was sparkling with anticipation and eagerness, which made Igneel's feel like laughing.

 _So adorable..._

"Kid, have you emptied your bladder this morning?"

"Uhm... uhh, no?"

"Well if you go do that, I promise we'll go right after"

"Really? You mean it?"

"Of course"

"YAAAAARSH!" Natsu squealed as he hugged the dragon's snout "Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!"

"You're welcome, now go. The sooner you pee the sooner we can leave"

"Okay!" he nodded and quickly ran away to go do his business.

 _Who knew it could be so easy to like such a small human?_ The dragon wondered as he laid waiting for the kid to return. He honestly didn't know what it was about him, but there was just something charismatic and adoring about his personality. It wasn't just because the kid seemed so fragile in some aspects, that it evoked his protective side, but also his optimistic and honest attitude, made it hard not to like him.

Igneel laid there thinking when he head an ear-piercing scream coming from outside.

 _Ohh no..._

He quickly launched himself out of the cave and to his surprise he saw a scruffy looking man kick Natsu in his stomach, making the pink haired kid yelp in pain, before the man grabbed the tiny kid's neck and raised him up in front of him.

"Still not saying anything huh?" the unknown man snorted as he slammed the kid against a tree, making Natsu whimper in pain.

"Come on! Where are your money?! Where is your food?" the man shouted, his voice dripping with insanity "I need it, so stop fucking around!"

A blind rage overwhelmed the dragon as he approached the couple.

 _No one could survive the dragon's anger... no one!_

A snarl escaped Igneel's lips, making the unknown human turn his head to look at him.

"You dare interrupt my domain and harm my kid, puny human" Igneel snarled in anger "Then you better prepare to take the consequences"

"What the freaking fuck?!" the human removed his hand from Natsu and took a few steps backwards, away from the dragon that was hovering threateningly above him.

"You heard me!" Igneel's voice boomed, making the human shiver in fright "And now you'll suffer the consequences!"

His eyes was radiating with fury as he opened his mouth prepared to bathe and drown the unknown human in fire.

"Shit!" the man gulped and quickly ran away from the scene, hoping to avoid sudden death.

Igneel was about to deliver the final blow, but stopped when he heard Natsu whimpering in pain.

"Igneel... please..." he coughed trying to gather his breath "... don't... kill him..."

"Kid..." he snapped his head towards him "... are you okay?"

"Ye... yeah..."

Igneel narrowed his eyes as he watched the unknown man disappear, making him growl in anger.

 _God damn it!_

"Natsu..." the dragon turned around and walked over to the kid, who was struggling to breath.

"... is... kay..." he smiled a toothy grin ".. we're going to... safe place... right?" a few tears ran down his cheeks, making the dragon flinch in pain.

 _How could he be so strong, after someone just tried to kill him? He was just a kid!_

"Yes, we are" Igneel answered.

"Neat..." Natsu took a deep breath and covered his eyes with both hands, clearly trying to prevent himself from crying again. The dragon watched for a second as the kid started to shake more profoundly evidently struggling to suppress his outburst.

"Kid..." the dragon eyed the red marks that was left after the other human had tried to strangle him, making him growl in anger inside "... you sure you're okay?

"Uh-huh"

"Well then..." if the kid wanted to act strong then that was fine with him "do you want to go to the safe place now?"

"Ye... yeah..."

"Good..."

"I..." Natsu sniffled profoundly "I'm sorry..."

"It wasn't your fault kid"

"But.."

"Some people are cruel because they are scared and afraid, so don't you dare think it was your fault"

"..."

"You hear me!"

"Ah-aye!"

"Good..."

"But..." Natsu started but quickly stopped his sentence and instead launched himself towards the dragon where he hugged his snout, trying to seek comfort "... sorry..." tears was now freely flowing from the kid's eyes.

"I told you, it wasn't your fault" the dragon gently stroked his back, trying to comfort him "Now tell me, did you finish your business?"

"... yeah..."

"You washed your hands?"

"Uh huh..."

"Good!" the dragon smiled "If you're too tired to walk, you can rest on my back..."

"Naaaw-aww!" Natsu shook his head "I'm good"

Igneel couldn't help chuckling as he watched the kid clench his tiny fist in enthusiasm.

"Very well then... but you know we'll get there faster if you get on my back"

"Ohh... well okay" Natsu eagerly nodded and a second later he was on top of the dragon, hugging his back.

"Ready?" Igneel asked and felt the tiny human hugging him tighter in response.

"Yeah, let's go"

"Good" the dragon smiled and soon they were both on their way towards their destiny, that would lead them to the future.

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

Layla could feel the magic being drained from her body, as she stood in front of the gate.

It was finally the day where they would open the gate to the past, so this was the last time she would have to put such a huge strain on her body.

 _She could do it!_

The pain she was feeling was nothing compared to the things they would essentially gain in the future. And honest to god, Layla would do anything in her power if she could make the world a better place for her daughter.

A groan escaped her lips, as her body started to radiate even more. Right now she was pushing her own limits and it was starting to have a negative effect on her body.

"Layla..." she heard Zeref whisper but she ignored him.

"Ungh!" the blonde woman moaned in pain.

Her heart was starting to beat irregularly and her muscles was aching in pain. For her it felt like tiny needles was continuously being stabbed into her body, trying to turn her muscles into mush.

"Don't push yourself too much" Zeref said not that far away from her. This time she didn't ignore him, but turned her head and sent him a smirk.

"I'm fine..." she took a shaking breath "... don't worry so much"

"... I'm not..." the dark mage muttered, with a tiny blush on his cheeks.

"Uh-huh..." Layla smirked knowingly and ignored the fact that she was now sweating profoundly.

Her stomach was starting to ache and throb in pain, almost as if the magic was trying to crush her organs.

They stood in silence deeply concentration about their task, when they heard the gate cracking, signifying it was about to open.

"That's it!" Zeref roared and took a step forwards "Just a tiny bit more! You can do this Layla!"

"... yeah..." the celestial mage sucked in her breath and bit down her lips, pushing for that last amount of magic that would stabilize the portal "Arrrrngh...!"

The portal was radiating more profoundly and a second later the doors opened. As they did, Layla let out an ear-piercing scream and feel to her knees. She had gone beyond the boundaries of her own magical capacity and was clearly drained by her effort. Fortunately she wasn't so deprived it had killed her, but it was enough to physically hurt her body.

"Layla!" Zeref yelled with horror clearly written in his eyes as he span on his feet to glare in the woman's direction.

She didn't answer but instead started hugging her stomach and leaned forwards, trying to ignore the pain she was feeling in her intestines.

Gritting her teeth, Layla started rocking back and forth completely ignorant to the light that was suddenly beaming from the portal, bathing both of them in a soothing light.

"Are you okay?" Zeref started rubbing the woman's back as she started coughing into her hand. Once the coughing stopped, the dark mage flinched when he saw that her hand was suddenly covered in blood "Shit!"

"It's okay..." the blonde wheezed, struggling to breathe "... I'm fine"

"No you're not!" Zeref snarled in anger.

Layla giggled and tried to stagger to her feet, but since that took a lot of strength she didn't have, the dark mage helped her begrudgingly.

"... you shouldn't be standing, you idiot..." he grumbled and removed his arms from the woman, who somehow managed to stand on her own.

"It's okay..." the woman answered "... it wouldn't be proper greeting the dragons laying on my hands and feet, now would it?"

"Like I give a damn about that"

The woman didn't say anything to that, but stared at the portal where the silhouette of a massive creature was spawning.

Astonished by the view, Layla stood in awe as she watched four gigantic dragon's emerge from the portal. A few moments later the dragon's stood proudly in front of the duo, each of them carrying a small human child.

The sight of the children made Layla burst with energy, making her squeal in excitement, however she quickly regained her composure.

 _It wouldn't do, reacting like a protective mother all of a sudden._

"My name is Layla Heartfilia. It's nice to finally meet you" she bowed her head in respect and quickly whipped her mouth, to remove the blood there. After all she was a proud woman so she had to at least have some level of decency.

All of the dragon's nodded and greeted the two people in turn.

"I see you all managed to get a human child" Zeref nodded in approval.

"Indeed" Grandeeney smiled wholeheartedly as she gently placed her child on the ground. The others followed her example and placed their own humans next to the tiny girl.

Layla clenched her fists as she tried her best to keep her composure. It was just really hard, when there was five children laying in front her, all of them sleeping peacefully.

 _Heck three of them was no more than infants!_

Smiling she felt her mother instinct overwhelming her as she went over to the children and gently eyed each of them in turn.

"Such precious little children" Layla smiled and gently stroked the hair of a little baby girl.

"They are indeed" Grandeeney nodded "That one is my child"

"Ohh... your child?" the blonde turned around to stare at the dragon "... I'm sorry to ask you this, but what about their parents?"

"Deader than a fish who lost his head" Metallicana smirked teasingly.

"... what?" Layla whispered in outrage.

"This is no laughing manner" Weisslogia said stoically "The parents of these children died during the war"

"I see..." the blonde narrowed her eyes, clearly saddened by that fact "... they're all so small though, they can't be more than a few months. Especially these three cutie pies"

"They would have died if we left them to their fate" Skiadrum said in a sad tone "the aftermath of a war is a dreadful thing to experience and brings out the worst in people"

"Indeed..." Igneel nodded in agreement to that statement.

"How dreadful..." Layla gently patted the baby with blonde hair, remembering that not that long ago Lucy had been just as small and fragile "... will they remember any of it?"

"No, I don't think so" Weisslogia answered "After all they are so young that they should suppress their traumatic experiences"

"That's probably for the best" Layla nodded suddenly deep in thought "Mmm..."

"What is it?" Zeref asked when he noticed her frowning.

"I was thinking about their age. Obviously we could say that these three babies are from this year, but I don't know about the other two"

"We'll figure something out" Igneel said "What year is this?"

"It's the year 772" Layla answered noticing the child with the pink hair stirring "Looks like someone is about to wake up"

"Where..." Natsu's voice was fragile as he started blinked with his huge and tired eyes ".. where are we?"

"Hello there little man" the blonde radiated with warmth as she glared at the child, who looked like he was about the same age as her own daughter "Did you sleep well?"

"Uh-huh..." he turned his head towards the woman and looked at her in scepticism before he noticed the other dragons and children surrounding him "... huh?"

"We should get going, it's dangerous being so many dragon's together. It's too easy to catch unwanted attention" Igneel said and turned towards the other dragons who nodded in agreement.

"Yeah don't wanna spend too much time with the idiotic flame head" Metallicana chuckled.

"Watch your mouth idiot" Igneel snarled in anger.

"You shut it!" the steel dragon chuckled " Now come on brat I know you ain't sleeping no more" the iron dragon snickered as he glared at the black haired kid, with unruly hair.

"That ain't fair..." the kid pouted and begrudgingly got into a standing position "... you used that weird dragon magic again, didn't ya?"

"Yeah, yeah whatever..." Metallicana said as he turned around and started walking away "... now come on, or I'll leave you behind"

"Shut it, stupid dragon!" the kid snorted in reply as he followed the dragon and soon they were both gone.

"We should be leaving as well" Weisslogia gently grabbed the blonde haired baby "I bid you farewell"

"As do I" Skiadrum grabbed the black haired baby "Farewell"

And with that they also vanished from their view, into the distance.

"I guess I should follow their example Grandeeney said as she took the blue haired baby.

"But..." Natsu muttered with eyes widening in sadness "... where are you going? Why are you leaving?" his lips started quivering "Did... did I do something wrong?"

"No, no, no" the wind dragon assured the child "We just have to go away for a while, but we will see each other again sometime in the future"

"We will?" the pink haired kid sniffled, on the brink of tears.

"Yes" Grandeeney nodded "At the very least I'm sure you'll meet my child in the future"

"Who?" Natsu blinked in confusion.

"This precious girl" she showed him the blue haired baby "Her name is Wendy"

"Wen... dy?"

"Yes" the dragon gently nuzzled Wendy with her snout "Would you like to say hi to her?"

"No..." Natsu reluctantly turned his head away, because for some reason the display of love the dragon was showing towards the kid, was making him jealous.

"Very well" Grandeeney smiled wholeheartedly and scratched Natsu's head with her claw "You take care, okay?"

"You too..." the pink haired kid muttered as he watched the dragon saying her goodbyes and soon thereafter, she was gone too. When Natsu could no longer see the other dragon, tears suddenly started streaming down his face.

"What's wrong?" Layla quickly went over to the crying kid and kneeled down in front of him.

"I..." the kid sniffled "... don't want them to go..."

"Aww..." the blonde smiled warmly and patted his head "... that's okay, you'll see them again, right?"

"Yeah..." Natsu froze all of a sudden, his eyes widening in horror.

"What's wrong?" Layla asked in concern, not noticing that a droplet of blood had escaped her nose and was trailing down her skin.

The kid didn't respond to her question, but instead started shivering uncontrollably.

"Woman..." Igneel narrowed his eyes in concern "... you're bleeding"

"Ohh..." she quickly removed the blood.

"Natsu is still rather traumatised I'm afraid" the dragon sighed "He has seen some brutal things on our journey, so I'm afraid the sight of blood makes him recall some horrible things. Hopefully he'll forget about it in the future"

"I see" Layla nodded feeling slightly guilty about her own stupid body "Natsu?"

He nodded but didn't say anything.

"Come here" she raised her arms, encouraging the kid to receive a hug from her.

"... kay..." he practically leaped into her arms, where he kept shivering at the horrible things that was playing inside his mind.

"It'll be alright" she started rocking him and gently placed a kiss on top of his head "Shh... just relax..."

"... scared..."

"It's okay to be scared sometimes. Now can you be a big boy and listen to something for me?"

"To what?"

"Place your ear on my chest and tell me, if you can hear something"

Natsu did as he was told and listened to her chest.

"Can you hear it?" Layla asked and stroked his hair with her fingers.

"It's..." he narrowed his eyes in concentration "... beating... like... boom, boom"

"Indeed it is" she smiled warmly "That's the sound of my heart and as long as it's beating, it means I'm alive"

"Ohh..."

"Now just relax and listen to it, okay? Forget everything else and just focus on the beat and I promise you that everything will be fine"

"Kay" Natsu once more did as he was told and after a few minutes he was lulled to sleep. Which was made apparent by the drool that was leaving his mouth, streaming down into her cleavage. She didn't mind at all, but instead smiled in affection as she once more kissed his hair.

"Poor kid..." Zeref snorted and for some reason avoided looking in her direction.

"My, my..." Igneel chuckled teasingly ".. do I smell a hint of jealousy in the air?"

"Of course not!" the dark mage huffed "Don't say such absurd things, when I'm present dragon"

"Yeah, yeah..." Igneel snickered.

"I know this might not concern me" Layla turned her head and looked at the fire dragon "But what happened to Natsu's neck? I noticed some red markings on it"

"I was careless and sent the kid out to pee on his own" Igneel said clearly unhappy about it "When he was out there a mad human attacked him"

"That's horrible!" the celestial mage said feeling outrage "Why would he do that to a poor defenceless kid?"

"I guess he was hoping to score some easy money" Igneel shook his head "Though I fail to see why he would think a kid would have anything"

"I'm sorry" Layla said, feeling really sad "No child deserves something like that"

"You're right" Igneel nodded in agreement "Anyhow I guess it's about time, we should be going too"

Layla looked down at the child in her arms, momentarily reluctant to let him go, but she eventually submitted to the dragon's will and gave him the sleeping kid.

"You take good care of him you hear" Layla said in a somewhat demanding tone, with tears suddenly forming in her eyes.

"Of course" Igneel smirked warmly towards her "I'll make sure he grows up all right"

"Good" she quickly wiped her eyes "Ohh gosh, I'm sorry I don't know why I'm so emotional all of a sudden"

"It's your instinct" the dragon said knowingly.

"Indeed instincts" Zeref butted in from out of no where "Farewell king of fire dragons"

"Yeah, yeah..." Igneel's eyebrow twitched in annoyance "... see ya around, kids"

"Farewell" Layla said and watched the dragon and the kid until they were no more visible for her.

Once they were gone she let out a heavy breath and feel to her knees.

"Ohh?" she said in bewilderment at her body's sudden action.

"You need rest" Zeref said in a sympathetic voice as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I do..." Layla sighed and placed her hand on top of his "... would you mind taking me home?"

"Your wish is my command"

The blonde giggled "... you silly goose..."

The dark mage didn't reply to that remark, but instead helped the woman on her way.

None of them knew what the future might hold, but they had finally finished the most important part of a mission that had started almost 7 years prior to the event.

So it was with happiness in their hearts they left the scene, towards something that would hopefully be a clear and bright future.

* * *

 **A/N:** Gotta say I loved making Zeref butt in like that... he's such a nerd ;)

So why did I introduce Wendy to Natsu? Well it was my attempt to explain why Natsu seems like he somewhat recognise it later on, when he meet her for "the first time".

And yes I know Natsu cries a lot, but he's just a kid who experienced some really horrible things. I mean I think a lot of adults would act the same way, if it happened to them ^^

Fun fact: there's a contradiction in the lore, because Lucy is born in X767 and Layla decides to retire in the year X764 (where she distributed her spirits to three different owners, each to be entrusted with a key until Layla's child was ready to inherit the spirits).

So unless Layla was pregnant for a long time, then there's something not adding up ^^

Also I decided that when I'm editing an arc, I'll publish the chapters as I finish them. So I can't be specific about when I'll update, but since I'm far ahead in typing, it should be sooner rather than later. With that said I will finish this current arc, during this weekend (there are two more chapters after this one, but since I need to do some typing as well, they might not be finished until tomorrow)

(the fuel the author consumed editing this chapter was: coffee, popcorn and cola – that is all, bb)


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima

* * *

 **ACT II: Celestial Guidance – New Beginnings**

 _ **Approximately X775**_

 **Chapter 5: Horrible markings**

 _Nothing major happened the next few years. The dragons did their task and raised their humans as best as they could, while training them in becoming Dragon Slayers._

 _Layla was still fatigued from opening the gate, but she was slowly getting better. For her, time seemed to fly by rather quickly,as she spent all of her waking hours taking care of her family and their huge mansion. In all modesty things was going quite well for them. They had a big home which Layla gladly took responsibility for, while Jude was working. In the last few years his company had grown rapidly and had become a huge influence on the market. Not that she cared about that, but it meant she could be at home all day and take care of things there. Which was great, because that meant she also got the role as host, whenever Jude invited important business partners over. All in all it was perfect for her, because she was still fatigued from opening the gate._

 _Jude sometimes went on business trips and he was away on one, when a mage came by their mansion one evening to visit Layla. The reason the mage was there, was because he had certain request..._

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

"No!" Layla said in a firm voice and span around on her heels to empathise her statement.

Zeref had just told her everything about the history that surrounded Natsu, but also the things that regarded the demon END.

Of course Layla was furious that Zeref had neglected to tell her this crucial detail, about the poor kid. Well not that it changed anything, she still thought the pink haired kid was adorable. Demon or not he was just a kid after all.

The main reason the celestial mage was angry though, was because of the thing he wanted her to do.

Compared to that, the demon thing was water under the bridge.

"I do not wish to beg" the dark mage narrowed his eyes "but if that is what it takes, before you perform the seal on him..."

"Then the answer would still be no" she crossed her arms defiantly.

"But..." Zered appealed in a low tone "... it's for the best in the end"

"Perhaps, but that doesn't mean I would willingly harm a poor child"

"We will put him under a sleeping spell"

"I said no!" she turned her head and glared at the other mage, with anger sparkling in her eyes.

"Come on, now you're just being selfish!" Zeref spat impatiently "You know how much he means for me too! Do you think I want this more than you do?"

"I know..." Layla groaned and started massaging her temple, as if she was suffering from a sudden headache.

"Then please... you have to do this not only for me but also for him. Without the seal he might lose control or submit to the demon before he's ready. And who knows how much harm he could inflict on the world and himself, if that happens?"

"You're right..." she sighed heavily "... that doesn't make me feel good about it though"

"I promise it'll be fine" Zeref said in a comforting tone "He'll be fast asleep when it happens and once he wakes up, I'll make sure to have some medicine to heal him. Besides..."

"Mama..." both of them jumped in surprise as they watched the tiny figure of a blonde girl suddenly standing in the doorway, rubbing her eye with one hand and in the other hand she was dragging a lion plushie.

"What are you doing up so late young lady?" Layla smiled brightly at her daughter.

"... I couldn't sleep..." the girl answered and sheepishly eyed the unknown mage, before she strolled over to her mother.

"You couldn't?" the woman kneeled down in front of the girl "Well I promise I'll come in just few minutes okay? Then I'll read you a story"

"... thank you..." Lucy whispered and started fidgeting with her nightdress nervously "... mama?"

"What is it dear?"

"... who is he?" she looked at Zeref briefly, before turning her head to stare at her own bare feet.

"He's an old friend" Layla smiled and patted her child's head.

"What is he doing here?"

"He's here to ask me a favour"

"What favour?" Lucy asked in a curious voice.

"He wants me to help his younger brother with a small problem he has"

"Problem?"

"Yes, there is something he's scared of, that I need to seal away"

"... okay... well... maybe I can help too?" Lucy's eyes lit up momentarily in eagerness.

Layla chuckled "That's very sweet of you to say, but it's fine I can do this on my own"

"Ohh..." the girl's eyes widened before she stormed out of the room, only to return a second later with something in her hand.

"Lucy?" Layla asked as she watched the tiny blonde going over to Zeref.

"He... here... mister..." there was a blush of embarrassment plastered on Lucy's cheeks "... this... this will help your brother..."

"Thank you" Zeref accepted the thing and eyed it curiously. It was a tiny bag filled with what looked like pink candy, that was shaped like cats.

"Lucy" Layla looked at the bag feeling rather astonished "You're giving him the last of your peppermint candy cats?"

"Ye.. yeah..." the small girl blushed "... I'm a big girl now, so I don't need it any more, to make me feel better. I'm not scared of anything!"

"Indeed you are a big girl" Layla smiled proudly towards her child before hugging her "Now will you be a good girl too and go to bed, then I promise I'll come join you in a few minutes, okay?"

"Okay!" Lucy smiled a toothy grin and without effort snaked out of her mother's arms, before storming out of the room.

"Cute..." Zeref muttered to no one in particular, before making a fake cough into his hand "... so... to cut things short, you're willing to help me?"

"... yes..." Layla sighed in defeat "... I'll do it"

"Good" the dark mage smiled.

With that they had come to an agreement, that would soon be fulfilled. But before they could do that, they needed to figure out which procedure would work. And so they used a few minutes exchanging information, before they finally reached a decision about what they had to do, when performing the seal. With that settled it didn't take long, before they were ready to take the next step in their plan.

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

Zeref and Layla made their way to a huge clearing, where they quickly spotted the red dragon and the tiny kid. Both of them was busy chatting with each other, but they couldn't hear what they were talking about.

Layla didn't know how Zeref managed to find the two of them, neither did she question it, because in all honesty it didn't really matter.

"Igneel, king of fire dragons" the dark mage said as a form of greeting, when they were close enough.

The dragon turned his head and nodded towards them "Zeref... and Layla! It is good to see you again. You're doing well I hope?"

"Thank you I am" the woman bowed her head "I hope you're doing well too"

"I am... I..." the dragon was interrupted by a childish scream and there was a flash of pink, before Layla found herself knocked down on the ground by an unknown force.

"Huh?" Layla blinked in surprise before staring at the tiny kid that was hugging her legs.

"HEY!" Natsu grinned widely, revealing all of his teeth.

"My, my..." the woman laughed wholeheartedly "... that's the first time someone knocked me off my feet, when greeting me..."

"... I'm sorry my kid is an idiot..." Igneel rolled with his eyes.

Natsu didn't say anything but chuckled, as if he was having the best time.

"It's okay..." Layla gently patted the kid's head "... just took me off guard that's all"

"Here..." Zeref said as he walked over to the two, with the bag of candy dangling from his hand "... Natsu this is for you"

"For me?" the kid blinked in response before grabbing the bag "What is it? Looks like... cats?"

"It's candy" Layla said in a gentle voice.

"Candy?"

"Yes, you haven't had candy before?" Layla asked in curiosity.

"No?" Natsu stared at the bag with eager eyes "Don't think so? What is candy?"

"Igneel..." the woman looked at the dragon, clearly judging him "... why doesn't he know what candy is?"

"Well it ain't like I can just stroll into town and buy him something now is it?" Igneel snorted in defiance at the accusation.

"... yeah guess you're right..." Layla sighed and watched as Natsu stopped hugging her legs and sat down besides her. He was smiling brightly as he took one of the cat shaped candies and popped it into his mouth.

"Mmm" the pink haired kid hummed, clearly enjoying the candy "Is awesome! Thank you!"

"You're welcome, but make sure you don't eat all of them at once, okay?" Layla smiled somehow knowing that he would ignore that "Hey you know what?"

"Mm-mm" Natsu shook his head and ate another piece of candy.

"That candy" she said while getting into a sitting position "Is a gift from my daughter to you"

"I thought is was from you?" Natsu tilted his head to the side. Evidently he had already forgotten, that it was Zeref who gave it to him.

"My daughter told me to give it to you, to make you strong and brave" Layla gently patted his head, trying to suppress the melancholia she was feeling "Because... there is something we need you to do"

"Ohhh uhm, kay?" the pink haired kid nodded "Can... can I ask you something?"

"Yes of course"

"Your uhm... daughter..." he rubbed his neck sheepishly ".. is she as pretty as you are?"

A laugh escaped Layla's lips as she quickly scooped the kid into her arms and hugged him like there was no tomorrow "No, she's much prettier than I am. She's much cuter too"

"Really?" Natsu blushed from head to toe "I don't believe that"

"Well you'll just have to see for yourself some day, now wont you?" she ruffled his hair making his hair even more spiky than it already was. When Layla saw this she couldn't help but squeal before kissing his head "Ohh my gosh, how can you be so cute?"

Igneel coughed loudly clearly trying to gain the couple's attention. Both him and Zeref had stood in silence just watching them, clearly unsure of how to stop the two from bonding.

"Layla..." the dragon started "... all though it is nice seeing you again, let's get down to business. I know you're not here just for a social visit, so do mind telling me why you're here?"

"We have to put a seal on him" Zeref motioned with his head in Natsu's direction "to prevent you know who from spawning"

"I thought you already did, in that book of yours" Igneel said with a hint of scepticism.

"In some aspects yes, however that doesn't mean he can't evoke the raw power of the demon that is still a vital part of his being. I mean being a demon is what he is in his blood, so it's still a latent part of him, until the time he summons it. That essentially means he could turn, if he pass the limited boundaries in his body that is now keeping it under control"

"I see" Igneel narrowed his eyes "Is this seal dangerous?"

"He will not feel anything as we cast it, I can assure you of that"

"Is what he say true?" the dragon asked Layla, seeking her confirmation.

"Yes..." her voice lowered considerably "... we have taken... certain precautions to make sure of that. But we shouldn't talk about it now"

"Shouldn't talk about what?" Natsu asked eagerly as he looked at them in turn.

"Nothing dear" Layla smiled warmly towards him.

"If this doesn't harm him I don't see why we shouldn't take this precaution" Igneel said.

"Good" Zeref nodded "Then we shouldn't delay any longer. Let us proceed right away"

"Yes..." Layla sighed heavily, clearly not looking forward to the next part.

"What?" Natsu whined because he felt excluded from the conversation.

"Remember I told you to be strong and brave right?" she gently placed her hand on his cheek.

"Uhm... yeah?"

"Well we need you to go to sleep for a little while, because we need to... put a small spell on you, to prevent you from being sick"

"Ohh..." Natsu blinked momentarily "... I don't feel sick, but okay"

"You're okay with it?" Layla asked and watched the kid as he nodded eagerly.

"Yeah!" he smiled brightly, clearly trusting the woman.

"You..." Layla sniffled with tears threatening to fall, as she caught him in a tight hug "... you're an amazing kid"

"Thanks!" Natsu smiled as he returned the hug, nuzzling his head against her shoulder.

They both enjoyed the hug not noticing that Zeref was suddenly standing beside them, until he placed his hand on the kid, making the kid squeak before he fell unconscious against Layla's body.

"Ohh!" the woman gasped and clutched the child more firmly against her own body, to prevent him from falling to the ground.

"What did you do?!" Igneel roared in outrage.

"I put a simple sleeping spell on him. He's fine" the dark mage answered.

"Igneel, trust me we need him to be in this state for what is about to happen" Layla said in a sad tone and gently placed Natsu on the ground.

"King of fire dragons" Zeref said in a stoic voice "You might not want to watch this"

"Why not?" the dragon snorted in defiance.

"Remember when I sealed END away?" the mage furrowed his eyebrows.

"Ahh..." Igneel's eyes widened in horror "... well yes, but that just confirms the fact that I'll have to watch the procedure"

"Do as you wish, as long as you don't interrupt us"

"Mmm... I'll try..." the dragon started but was interrupted by Layla.

"No, you mustn't interrupt us! We need to finish this before he wakes up"

"Alright, I'll do my best to refrain myself" Igneel said clearly not satisfied by the situation.

"Good..." Layla let out a shaking breath "... okay let's do this"

"Yes" Zeref nodded as he brought forth his book, that started to glow and pulsate in a weird way, clearly responding to the kid on the ground "We need to do this quickly" he said and motioned with his hands while chanting something in a weird language. While he did that, the book seemed to vibrate before a glistening ball suddenly spawned from it. The ball was a weird mixture of black and gold, but there was also a tiny bit of red in it, that looked a lot like blood.

Zeref was still chanting as the ball suddenly started hovering above Natsu's right arm, where it hang for a second. As it did Zeref carefully trailed his finger in a specific pattern on the kid's arm, where black markings started appearing where the dark mage touched his skin. Simultaneously as the marking's started appearing the ball became smaller, evidently because it was somehow transferred over to the kid's skin.

When the glistening ball was gone Zeref nodded towards Layla, who instantly placed her hands above Natsu's arm. Her fingers started glowing, making the markings vibrate and radiate as well.

Zeref and Layla quickly exchanged a look with each other, both knowing now would be the hard part.

"Let's do this" the woman said in a shaking voice and pushed more of her magic into the markings, making it glow in a golden light.

"Yes" Zeref answered as he placed his hands above the markings too, forcing another type of magic into the kid. When he did the markings slowly seemed to pulsate again, before they started forcing themselves into Natsu's arm, slowly ripping the skin apart where it entered his body. As they did they started to vanish, without leaving a single proof of their existence.

Sucking in a deep breath, Layla continued in spite of the fact, that blood was now starting to flow down the kid's arm.

 _Fortunately he couldn't feel anything..._

After a while all of the markings were gone, the only thing left was the torn skin on Natsu's arm, that was bleeding rapidly.

"I..." Layla sat down heavily and stared at her shaking hands, clearly distraught by the situation.

"I've got this" Zeref managed to smirk towards the woman, before he fetched a bottle from inside his clothes, that contain a clear but sparkling liquid. With one hand he quickly opened the bottle and poured the liquid on Natsu's arm and once it hit his skin, steam started forming.

"What is that?" Igneel asked his voice shaking slightly from the scene he had just endured.

"Does it matter?" the dark mage answered and all of them watched as the steam vanished. They all had a moment of happiness, when they saw that the liquid had worked and removed the wounds on the kids.

"Guess not" The dragon shrugged "I'm gonna go fetch some water. We need to remove all of that blood before he wakes up"

It didn't take long before Igneel returned with a bucket and a piece of cloth, he quickly heated up with a tiny amount of fire.

"I'll... I'll do that" Layla said and took the piece of cloth from the bucket, she then used to carefully remove the blood. While she did that she kept biting her lips, to try and prevent herself from crying.

It didn't prevent her body from shaking uncontrollably though, making her hands shake even more as she finished her task. Once it was done the water was stained pink, from all the blood she had removed.

"We should move him" Igneel said as he pointed towards the blood on the ground "he'll smell that the second he wakes up"

"Good idea" Layla said and gently took the kid into her arms, hugging him close to her chest. A second later she started walking. The celestial mage didn't know where she was going, neither did it matter. For her it felt good leaving the place behind. Also it was slightly liberating to move. Like it was somehow soothing her raging heart.

Layla didn't know for how long she waked, but suddenly she was stopped when Igneel blocked her way.

"This is far enough" he said and eyed the sleeping kid "Besides I have a few questions I need answered before he wakes up"

Layla turned her head "Of course... but where is Zeref?"

"Don't know, he vanished when you did" the dragon sighed heavily "That kid is a mystery to me"

"Yeah..." the blonde took a deep breath "... he is to me too sometimes"

Igneel narrowed his eyes as he watched the melancholic aura that was suddenly surrounding the woman.

"Layla... what's wrong?"

"He... he told me everything"

"Everything?"

"About the demon... about END"

"Ohh..." the dragon's eyes widened "... I see"

"Yeah..." Layla smiled sadly towards him ".. that's why I agreed to help him make the seal"

"About that... how does it work?"

"Well it's rather simple really" she sighed and gently started stroking Natsu's back "Since I'm a celestial mage I use summoning magic, to call forth a spirit with the use of a key. The marking you saw we embed inside his body is functioning as a key, that will allow him to summon his demonic part when he's ready. Of course most of END is inside Zeref's book, but the key or the marking will function as a key, that will allow him to summon his other part"

"But what is stopping him from summoning him now?"

"We made a barrier that will ensure, that the markings won't spawn until he reaches a certain level of magical capacity. Hopefully that won't happen until he's old enough, so that it won't cause him to go mental or lose his human personality"

"I see, then when the time is right, maybe he'll have enough self control that he won't be consumed by the demon"

"Exactly" the blond nodded and turned her head to glare at the pink haired kid "It's just hard to understand why faith has to be so cruel to such an innocent child"

"I know..." Igneel agreed and took a deep breath.

"Mmm..." Natsu whimpered as he started stirring in Layla's arms.

"Hey there" she answered and gently patted his head "How are you feeling?"

"... dizzy... thirsty..."

"Come on there's a lake not that far away..." Igneel stated.

"It..." the child staggered "... smells... like..." his breathing was starting to become more irregular indicating he was starting to have a panic attack.

"Oh no you don't!" Igneel quickly snatched Natsu's shirt and threw him into the distance.

"Ahhhhhh..." Natsu screamed in shock from being airborne all of a sudden, before he eventually collided with something that caused a huge splashing like sound to be heard.

"What..." Layla stood perplexed for a second "What did you do that for?!" her eyes bulged visibly for a second as she started running in the kid's direction. Once she got close enough she quickly saw a huge lake, and it didn't take long before she spotted pink hair, since it was easily recognisable from a distance.

"Natsu!" she yelled and ran directly into the lake, until she was right next to the kid, who was staring back at her in confusion.

"Igneel I swear, when I get to you I'll turn you into a pair of fashionable shoes, so I can walk on you all day..." her eyebrow twitched in anger.

"I did it for his own good ya know" Igneel snickered "Besides I'm way too big to only turn into one pair of shoes"

"Hmpf!" Layla raised her chin stoically, trying to ignore the dragon's taunt "Now come on let's get you out of this water. Crab onto my back, then I'll carry you back to shore"

"Mm... kay" Natsu wrapped his arms around her shoulders and soon they found themselves back on shore, where Igneel conveniently had built a bonfire, to dry them both up.

"There you go" Layla smiled as she placed the kid next to the fire "Are you feeling better?"

"... Mmm..." he wrinkled his mouth for a second "... still dizzy"

"Do you still have the candy?"

"Uh-huh..." he fetched the bag from his pocket. Fortunately the water hadn't spoiled them.

"Take one of them, they'll help you feel stronger"

Natsu didn't say anything as he took a piece of candy and ate it. Once it was gone he took one more.

"Feeling better?" Layla enquired in a mild tone.

"YES!" he lid up with a big smile "A lot better! Thanks!"

"Natsu" Igneel's voice said from somewhere beside them "If you want to feel even better, then you could show Layla the trick I taught you"

"Trick?" he blinked in confusion.

"Yeah" the dragon nodded with his head towards the fire.

"Ahhh!" Natsu jumped up eagerly "Hey, hey, hey you have to see this!" he grabbed Layla's hand and dragged her closer to the fire.

"Ohh okay"

"Are you watching? You HAVE to be watching! This is awesome!"

"I'm watching" she gave his hand a squeeze.

"Okay, okay, okay" he took a few deep breaths, before he started sucking in the fire. His tiny stomach couldn't contain all of it, but once it was filled he stopped eating and let out a sigh in delight "thanks for the meal!"

"That was amazing" Layla smiled brightly "Did Igneel teach you to do that?"

"Yup!" Natsu clenched his right hand and held it up into the air, but flinched as he did so "Ugh!"

"What's wrong?" she asked in concern.

"Nothing... my arm just feels weird, is all" he stared at his arm and stuck out his tongue, which he wiggled with mockingly "Bleeh! Stupid arm"

The blonde couldn't help giggling when she saw his reaction and gave his hand another squeeze.

They stood like that staring at the fire for a while, when Layla noticed how late it was getting. She didn't want to go, but then again it wouldn't do any good for her if she staid. After all she had her own daughter she had to go home to.

"I should get going" turning her head she exchanged a glare with the dragon.

"What? No!" Natsu immediately hugged her legs, trying to prevent her from going.

"I'm sorry, but I have to" Layla patted his head "My daughter is waiting for me"

"Naaaw aw!" he shook his head refusing to accept her excuse

"Natsu!" Igneel's voice boomed "You can't become a mighty mage with that attitude"

"I don't care!" his lip started quivering.

"You know what? If you let me go I promise I'll bring you more candy, that I'm sure you'll like" Layla smiled and tilted her head to the side "Okay?"

"Mmm..." he narrowed his eyes suspiciously but a second later his facial expression changed into a cocky grin "... okay!"

"Good" she wrapped her arms around him and gave him a hug "Be a good boy until I see you again, okay?"

"Aye!" he cheered and removed his arms, giving the woman back her ability to move.

"I bid you both farewell!" Layla bowed her head "I hope your path will be filled with brightness until we meet again"

"Yeah likewise" Igneel nodded with his head "See ya around kid"

".. I'm not a kid..." she pouted with a hint of annoyance.

"Bye-bye!" Natsu waved with hand eagerly "Come back soon!"

"I will" and with that Layla found herself leaving the place. She didn't now when she would see them again, especially because it was essential that she didn't go there without a purpose. After all it was important, that she didn't accidentally draw attention to the duo.

* * *

It would take two years before she saw them, but she didn't know that at the moment...

 **A/N:** Natsu is freakishly adorable as a kid, so I really struggled with myself typing this chapter. That is all I have to say :3


	6. Chapter 6

**Warning:** Uhm, I'm sorry but in this chapter there will be a lot of blood. So consider yourself warned ^^

 **Disclaimer:** Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima

* * *

 **ACT II: Celestial Guidance – New Beginnings**

 _ **Approximately X777**_

 **Chapter 6: Lonely night**

 _Zeref kept to himself after the seal had been made on his brother, trying his best to regain his strength. Of course it wasn't like it had taken as much effort as it had, when he removed END's powers 400 years ago, but it was enough to leave him slightly fatigued. That was why he vanished from the scene, because he didn't want Layla to see him, when he was weak. It didn't take long for him to regain his strength and when he did, he went to see Layla, to make sure she was alright. After that Zeref would return once in a while to the blonde, just to exchange a few pleasant words, since the bond between was stronger, than any of them had imagined._

 _As for the celestial mage, another two years passed before it was her time once more, to take her role in the events that regarded the dragons._

 _All though Layla wouldn't admit it out loud, she was still rather fatigued after everything she had been through, over the last couple of years. So it was with a tiny hint of scepticism she heard the requests from the dragon's, that regarded another sealing spell._

 _Essentially they wanted her to perform her magic on the Dragon Slayer's, so the dragon's could be sealed away inside of them. The dragon's truly hoped it was possible, since they knew that they didn't have much time left in this world. After all they were spirits and their time was running out. Just like her former spirits couldn't stay in this world, before they would eventually have to go to the spirit world, the dragon's needed to go to the afterlife. But it was the dragon's hope that if the seal was successful, that it would prolong their stay a bit longer, even if it was merely for a few more years._

 _Layla knew that doing this would take a lot of effort on her part, but after consulting with Zeref they decided that if she wanted to use the spell, then it was vital she did it on 7/7 777, since the constellations and spiritual energies on this day would be high. This essentially meant it would raise her magical powers and hopefully it would be enough for the celestial mage, to perform the sealing spell on the dragons, without causing harm to herself._

 _Time seemed to fly by and the promised date was approaching at a fast rate._

 _Layla had hoped she would have regained more of her magic, before she needed to make the seals but unfortunately it didn't. With that in mind Layla knew that what she was about to do, could be a gamble, where the outcome in the worst case scenario would mean her losing her life._

 _None of the dragon's knew that of course, but of course she couldn't hide it from Zeref..._

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

"No!" the dark mage roared and threw his arm to the side dismissively "I won't allow it!"

"I'm doing it whether you want me to or not" Layla sighed and crossed her arms above her stomach "This is the only solution we have, to seal the dragons inside the Dragon Slayer"

"But you've already used too much of your magic!" Zeref snarled in anger "It's too soon! You need to restore more of your own magic. If not... you might die when you perform the spell!"

"I know that" the woman said in a calm and patient tone.

"And yet you persist on doing it?"

"I do"

"But..." Zeref growled as he grasped his head with both hands and started shaking it in anger "... we should at least search for another solution"

"You know there isn't one" Layla said "There's only a week until we reach the date..."

"7/7 777..."

"Yes..." she nodded "... and we can't find another one who can perform the ritual before that. Not when we know how rare it is to find a celestial mage"

"I don't care!" Zeref growled and used his hand to smash a table, to demonstrate his anger "You're not performing this ritual and that's final!"

"I am" she closed her eyes and ignored how the dark mage went on a rampage and started smashing a lot of furniture. It took a few minutes but eventually he stopped.

"You're not!" panting from his sudden efforts Zeref walked over to her and stopped when he was only a few inches away "And that's final!"

"I am" Layla repeated and opened her eyes, not surprised that he was so close to her "And you'll allow it to happen"

"No!"

"Yes you will" she smiled wholeheartedly towards him "Because this is the only solution we have, to ensure the future. You said it yourself, we need to perform the sealing on that day, since my celestial magic will be so much greater"

"I know but... I... can't let you take that risk. Not if it might result in..."

"My death?"

"Don't... " his voice lowered and was barely above a whisper "... don't say it like that... like it's something casual" he exhaled a shaking breath and covered his face with both hands.

"Zeref..." Layla called in a gentle voice.

"I can't..." for some reason his legs gave up underneath him, making him fall down on his knees.

It didn't take more than a second before Layla kneeled down in front of Zeref, and the next she gently wrapped her arms around him, trying to comfort him.

"Shh, it's okay" she stroked his back "I'll be fine, I promise"

"Such a foolish thing to say" the dark mage chuckled, but inwardly couldn't help but feel a tiny bit of confidence in her statement, as he wrapped his arms around her waist and gently nudged his head against her shoulder.

"Perhaps" the blonde chuckled "But it'll all turn out fine I promise you. After all who'll take care of you if I'm around?"

"No one..."

"Exactly, and we can't have that, now can we? So cheer up, we still have a lot to do together don't we?"

"You're only saying this to comfort me" he said in a dark tone "However I suppose you're right, so don't you dare die on me"

"I won't" she gently squeezed his body with her arms "It's a promise"

"Yes... yes it is" Zeref gently gave her body a squeeze in return, feeling confident in her promise but insecure about the future.

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

Layla could feel the magic in her veins almost overflowing and radiating, as she started chanting the old formula. All of the dragon's was gathered around her and in front of them was the Dragon Slayer's peacefully sleeping. They didn't have to be like that, but she wanted to spare the poor kids of having to see this ritual so she made sure, that the dragon's put a sleeping spell on them. Layla couldn't know for sure if the kids knew about what was going to happen or how the dragon's had prepared them, but she dearly wished that it wouldn't leave too much of a scar on their fragile souls. If that happened she would never be apple to live with herself.

She felt the power inside of her pulsating, making her skin prickle almost as if an electric current was buzzing though every fibre of her body.

 _It was time..._

Zeref watched from the sidelines as Layla's body glowed from top to bottom. It all looked perfectly normal, but he knew better than to make assumptions. He wanted to believe, no he HAD to believe that everything would turn out right... if not...

 _No he wouldn't go there... it was too devastating..._

Layla stopped chanting and walked up to Weisslogia

"Are you prepared?" she asked in a caring tone and gently stroked Sting's cheek in affection.

"I am" the dragon answered.

"Very well, I hope you'll have a safe journey"

"Thank you" Weisslogia nodded, clearly ready for what was to come.

"You're welcome" the woman smiled and placed her hands on the blonde kid's stomach. After making a few more chants the dragon's form started to flicker and vanish, turning into tiny droplets of gold, that entered a weird pattern that was forming underneath her hands, on the kids stomach. The pattern was there for a second, but when the seal finished it vanished.

It had been hard and Layla wouldn't deny that. She wiped her forehead to remove some sweat and turned to the next dragon. This time it was the dragon Skiadrum and his kid Rogue.

"Thank you for doing this, human child" the sky dragon nodded.

"I'm not a child, but you're welcome"

The ritual went just as the first one had and soon she turned to Metallicana who was smirking teasingly at her.

"You make sure you do this correct, ya hear? I don't want the shrimp to be all whiny and shit, when you're done" he chuckled but there was a hint of seriousness in his voice, making it obvious that the dragon cared about the boy.

"Don't worry I'll make sure, he'll be fine" Layla smiled in spite of the pain she was feeling. The ritual was starting to affect her body and for her it felt like there was a lot of tiny whiplashes constantly hitting each of her cells, trying to rip her muscles apart.

 _But Layla could endure it! She had to!_

After performing the ritual and leaving a seal on Gajeel, she felt how her entire body was covered in sweat and for some reason it was becoming harder for her to breath evenly.

"Are you sure you're well, Layla?" Grandeeney asked and narrowed her eyes as she watched the woman "You look quite unwell all of a sudden"

"Yes... I'm okay..." the woman nodded ".. I'll take a small break after this, so rest assured I'll be fine"

"If you say so" the female dragon narrowed her eyes and felt suspicious about her condition, but she trusted the woman's evaluation of her own condition "Thank you once again for doing this"

"You're welcome" Layla smiled warmly towards her, before performing the seal on Wendy.

Once she finished the seal it started to hurt really much. It was like each and every fibre of her being was being smashed from the insides, like small bubbles popping and exploding underneath her skin.

 _Air... she needed air... why couldn't she breath?_

Unconsciously she started coughing and placed her hands above her lips, as she felt her knees buckle underneath her, making her fall to the ground.

"Layla!" Zeref roared and a second later he was next to her, gently stroking her back "Are you okay, what happened?"

When she stopped coughing she took a deep shaking breath before answering "I'm... fine... there's nothing to worry about..."

"No!" he grabbed her hands and stared at the blood that was suddenly covering them "You're not fine! Not when you're coughing up blood!"

"It's okay..." she smiled warmly at him "... I only need one more seal..."

"I don't care!" Zeref spat and turned his head to look at Igneel "Don't make her do this!"

"I won't" the fire dragon answered.

"You won't?" the dark mage answered in a bewildered tone.

"No" the dragon shook his head "Even if this might be helpful for Natsu later on, then I wouldn't demand her to do it... I mean I would never..."

Igneel didn't get the chance to finish that sentence, because suddenly he felt himself starting to vanish, as he was being dragged into the seal on the pink haired kid's chest.

Unbeknownst to the two, Layla had used their short exchange to perform the ritual and before any of them had a time to respond the dragon was gone, leaving nothing but thin air.

When the ritual was done, Layla could feel her body shaking from fatigue. Her vision was blurry and it was becoming harder to do even the most basic things such as move or think.

"Layla!"

She heard him calling in the distance but couldn't respond. He kept calling as she felt a lot of liquid spouting out of her mouth, which she knew was blood, since it had that distinctive metallic taste to it.

 _I'm sorry Zeref... I'm so.. so sorry..._

And with that her vision vanished leaving nothing but darkness.

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

"No Layla please..." Zeref gritted his teeth as he hugged the blonde woman, who had collapsed from her efforts.

 _Help, he needed help... a healer... anything... so much blood..._

His heart was pumping fiercely in his chest, making the adrenaline and panic he felt, escalate like a wildfire through his veins.

Feeling really desperate and on the brink of panic he quickly scooped the woman into his arms and started running.

 _A doctor something, anything..._

He didn't know for how long he had run, when he felt a hand gently tucking his clothes.

"Zeref..." her voice was raspy and low "... please stop..."

"No, we need to get you to a healer"

"It's too late..."

"What do you mean too late?!" he growled but stopped running.

"There aren't any cities nearby..." she started coughing into her hand, but soon it turned into a fit "... please..."

He understood her hint and placed her gently on the ground, where she eventually finished coughing.

"Thank you..." Layla whispered and laid down on the ground with blood slowly trailing down her chin ".. I'm sorry..."

"Don't..."

"... I couldn't..." she exhaled and gently placed a hand on his chin " … I couldn't keep my promise... and I... I..." tears was now freely streaming down her face "... not only that but I'm leaving my daughter behind..."

"Layla..."

"I didn't think this would happen... I knew it was possible, but still... " her voice cracked painfully "... I don't want to die... Lucy... what will happen to her?"

A sigh of frustration left Zeref's lips. He had to get a hold of himself and keep his own emotions in check. Especially because it would be selfish if he caused the woman more pain in her final moments.

 _He could fall apart later... now he had to be there for her and do whatever it took, to make her feel better..._

"I'm sure she'll be fine" the dark mage whispered and gently removed some hair that was stuck in the blood, that was covering her chin "You did well in raising her"

"I did didn't I?" she chuckled weakly.

"Besides this isn't the end, is it? Didn't you tell me once, that when you die, you'll go to the heavens and turn into a star, so that you may shine down on the people you left behind?"

"Yes I did say that ages ago" her smile widened a bit "I'm surprised you remember that, I was just a young girl"

"Of course" his eyes narrowed as he watched a trail of blood streaming out of her nose "I remember everything you told me"

"You're a romantic idiot... always was even if... if..." she coughed sending droplets of blood flying.

Not sure what else to do Zeref gently wrapped his arms around the girl and helped her into a sitting position, so it was easier for the woman to remove the blood that was blocking for her air supply.

Once the coughing was done she was left panting, her lungs wheezing making it painfully clear that she was having big difficulties in breathing.

"If... you..." she tried talking again, but it was clear it took a lot of effort.

"Hush woman" the dark mage muttered and stroked her back.

"... can't see it... yourself" she moaned and placed her head against his shoulder.

They just sat like that for a while, saying nothing.

"... Zeref?" her voice was so low it was almost inaudible.

"Yes?"

"Thank you..."

"Layla?" he felt how her body was starting to become more limp in his arms.

"... for everything..." she exhaled and as she did he could feel how the last essence of life seemed to vanish from her body, making it fall heavily against him.

He didn't need to check her pulse to know, that she no longer was with him. It was all too clear from the lack of breathing coming from her.

Feeling utterly shocked Zeref didn't know what to do at first. He just sat there until it suddenly hit him like a title wave, almost knocking away all of his rationality.

 _No... no, no, no, no, no NO NO! Why did this happen?! Why?_

Clenching his teeth in frustration, he could feel how his mind seemed to explode in a turmoil of emotions.

Desperation, pain, frustration, anger, sadness... It was all too much and too sudden.

 _Why?_

He tightened his grip on the now dead woman in his arms.

 _Why?_

Tears was flowing down his chins, falling down and landing with low thuds on Layla's skin.

"No..." he whispered in a low and fragile voice, as he started rocking back and forth "... please..."

 _She couldn't be dead, no! Not now! Not when he never got the chance to tell her... to say... to... say..._

Biting his lips, he shook his head in denial. Soon there was blood trailing down his chin, from where his teeth had punctuated the skin.

 _It couldn't be... no... someone... anyone... wake him from this nightmare... it was too cruel to be reality... please..._

"You idiotic woman..." Zeref said as he gently kissed her hair and took a deep shaking breath "... I wanted to tell you... how I feel... ever since I saw you that day at the lake... that I... I..."

Zeref couldn't say it out loud. No... his wounds was wide open and it would be like rubbing salt in it on purpose. Besides she was dead, so was rather pointless to confess his feelings.

 _Yeah go on and admit your feelings to a corpse. That wouldn't be morbid or anything..._

The thought made him chuckle, because the situation was just so painful and fucking weird.

 _It was too much..._

For the first time since he was a child, he had found a companion who didn't die whenever the person was around him. Of course Mavis and her group didn't die when he was around them, but he was only with them for a short amount of time. So really it couldn't be compared to what Layla was to him. After all she was his friend, companion and partner...

And now she was dead, leaving him all alone to roam the world in solitude again.

His chuckle turned into a menacing and hysterical laugh.

 _Forever alone... maybe he deserved it..._

The laughter eventually died down and once it did, an unpleasant shiver ran down his spine. As it did his body started to shake uncontrollably, because he was overwhelmed with sadness.

 _No... why did this have to happen? Why?_

He couldn't keep it in... the ache in his chest... clenching and scratching his insides, making him feel nauseous.

A painful scream filled the air, as his inner emotions was transmitted to whoever might be close enough to listen. As he screamed Zeref didn't notice how his dark magic was summoned and all of a sudden as a huge wave of death and destruction was sent pulsating from his frame, killing everything it touched.

Not that it mattered... nothing did... if it stood to him, then the entire world could crash and burn.

 _There was nothing left... nothing..._

Nobody heard how the lonely mage kept screaming and crying for hours, because whatever had been close enough was dead. Which was almost weird since it was how he felt, when the crying stopped.

 _He was dead... dead and gone to the world... but soon he would watch it burn..._

* * *

 **A/N:** Layla you... you! Argh! You never kept your promise to Natsu and brought him more candy! You can't die, not doing that...

… baka...

And before you ask, Zeref managed to run far enough away from the Dragon Slayer's so they weren't affected. Now that would be morbid :)

Yoooosh! Are you guys ready for a huge time skip for the next arc/act? Well the thing is I actually need to do some typing and major editing for that part, but I have confidence that I'll get it done and finished next week. Aye sir!

Bye-byy~yye for now kitty cats! :3


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima

* * *

 _ **ACT III: Crossroad - Where demons roam**_

 _ **Approximately X793**_

 **Chapter 7: It begins**

 _The Dragon Slayer's was all alone in the middle of no where, when they woke one by one. None of them knew what had happened, nor did they have any knowledge of the horrible things that had transpired. All they knew was that none of their parents was in sight, leaving them confused and baffled as they staggered alone into the world, determined to find their dragons._

 _Natsu was one of the first to wake up and didn't really bother with the other kids, as he started calling and searching for Igneel. The day before the dragon had vanished, he had given Natsu a super cool scarf, that he was nuzzling every once in a while, trying to seek comfort in it. It didn't take long before he met an old man called Makarov, who asked him to join his guild and since the Dragon Slayer didn't have anywhere else to go, he agreed and followed him._

 _As for Zeref, then he was once more rummaging the world in solitude. Sometimes he would go to his country and do his duties there, but he preferred being alone because his hatred towards humanity was once more burning with a passion. ._

 _It was during one of his trips in X784, he stumbled across Mavis's spirit. He told her everything about his loss, but also about the dragons and Dragon Slayers. This made the small mage speechless since she could sense a lot of darkness and anger in Zeref, that hadn't been there before._

 _The loss of Layla had left a deep scar in Zeref, because he had opened his heart and tried to be forgiving towards humanity. But when the celestial mage died, his heart had been shattered and that was why he had turned darker and more cynical._

 _Mavis tried encouraging the other mage, but he was deaf to her reasoning. Instead he told her how he had lost his last faith in humanity and that one day, he would to see it all burn. Whether it would be by his hands, his brother's or Achnologia, he did not know. But when it did he would finally find a place to die._

 _Startled but also angry, Mavis once more tried to reason with the dark mage, but he wouldn't listen._

 _And with that, the two former friends saw each other in a new light, because they knew that this was the end of their friendship._

 _It took seven years before they would cross paths again in X791 after the Grand Magic Games._

 _Zeref was still determined in seeing the world burn, because he believed that only through the destruction and annihilation of humanity, could they get a fresh start. So his solution to everything was regeneration, since that might lead to harmony. In that way he could stop the meaningless and cruel circle people always continued to make, since humanity would essentially be reborn._

 _Mavis wasn't shocked by his speech and told him that the world is beautiful despite it's flaws and that Fairy Tail is a guild that accepts it._

 _Zeref didn't believe her, so he told her that there would be a one-sided annihilation that would kill humanity._

 _Determined and having faith in her own guild, Mavis answered that Fairy Tail would stop and annihilate him._

 _After a while the dark mage approached Achnologia who was wounded after his fight with Igneel. Zeref informed the dragon, that he himself would be his challenger, if he just waited for the fated day where humanity, dragons and immortals, would face each other in a fierce battle._

 _It wasn't yet though, because before that could happen the fairies and a lot of other guilds confronted his country and The Spriggan. After a long and fierce battle it resulted in defeat for the dark mage, making him flee once more. Humanity had won another war and all cross the nation, they took their time to celebrate but also lick their wounds. It was during this peaceful time, that yet another tragic event was about to happen..._

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

It had been yet another bloody battle and it had left a huge mess everywhere. Destruction, blood, corpses... all of it evidence of the things that had happened.

Because of all the horror it was with heads held high, that the guild members of Fairy Tail found themselves celebrating at their newly created guild hall. In spite of all the things they had been through and endured, they somehow managed to suppress it and have a blast until the early morning.

"What a mess" Lucy stated to herself when she entered the guild, after taking a quick trip home to take a shower. In some corners people were sleeping peacefully, in other corners food, kegs or alcohol was splattered, clearly implying how successful their party had been.

 _It had been a good night indeed..._

A moan escaped her lips as she spotted a huge mess of pink hair sticking out of a barrel.

Not knowing what else to do she quickly went over to it and started knocking on it's side.

"Oy, what are you doing in there?" Lucy asked curiously.

"Mmm... go aaaway..."

"It can't be good for your back staying like that"

Natsu tried moving making his spine crack painfully "Ugh!"

"Told you so" Lucy giggled as he glared back at her with accusing eyes.

"Yeah, yeah" grumbling he slowly got out of the barrel and stood stretching his body for a while "Nice party, huh?"

"It really was" she nodded in agreement.

"Yo!" they heard Gray calling and both turned their heads to stare at him. Like always he had managed to lose his shirt, but since it had happened the day before during the party, nobody knew where it was.

"Hey" Lucy said and smiled towards him "How are you doing?"

"Fine..." the ice mage shrugged "... just wish I knew where my shirt went"

"Perhaps Juvia took it?" she snickered teasingly.

"Maybe..."

"Why isn't Mira here yet?" Natsu complained in a high-pitched tone "I'm starving!"

"Well it's really nice weather outside, so how about we go buy something and eat it at the park?" Lucy suggested.

"Good idea, I mean I wouldn't want to eat in this smelly place, even if I could" Gray said and motioned with head towards the entrance "Let's go"

"Mmm hm" Lucy nodded and followed the ice mage outside.

"Oy!" Natsu roared in outrage before storming after them "Wait for me!"

"And waaait for meeeee!" Happy shouted and spawned his wings, before flying after the small group.

After buying a lot of burgers the group found themselves entering the park.

"Hey isn't that Erza?" Lucy asked when she spotted a woman casually resting on her back.

"Looks like it" Gray said and started heading over in her direction.

"Ey! Erza!" Natsu yelled making the woman turn her head to glare at the approaching group.

"Guys" the scarlet haired woman nodded and got into a sitting position "What are you doing here?"

"Well Mira was absent at the guild and since it's such a nice weather, we decided to go get burgers" Lucy answered and showed her the bag she was carrying "We've got more than enough if you want some too"

"I appreciate your offer and gladly accept" Erza nodded stoically.

And with that they found themselves having a nice time, consuming burgers and sharing stories. Once their stomachs were full they sprawled out on the grass, resting in content.

"That was awesome!" Natsu exclaimed as he raised a clenched fist into the air.

"Yeah..." Gray sighed and rubbed his stomach "... mmm"

"Is something wrong?" Lucy asked in concern.

"Naaw, not really" the ice mage sighed, making it obvious that there was something troubling him.

"Come on, you can tell us" the blonde turned over to stare at the black haired mage.

"Well..." he started "... there's a few things that's been bothering me lately. I mean.. is it just me or does it seem like Makarov is avoiding Natsu?"

"Ohh..." Lucy blinked in surprise.

"I have noticed that as well" Erza stated knowingly "He has so ever since we rescued him from Albaras"

"... yeah..." the blonde muttered sadly.

"It just doesn't make sense why he would do that" Gray grumbled in thought "Unless there's a reason for it"

"Perhaps there is" the scarlet haired woman said "We just don't know it yet"

"Yeah... reminds me though, that there's another thing that's been bothering me" Gray sighed as he turned around to lay on his stomach and stare in Natsu's direction "You're hiding something aren't you?"

The fire mage didn't answer, but instead narrowed his eyes and stared at the sky above him.

"Well..." the ice mage urged but still didn't receive an answer.

"... Gray..." Lucy turned her head to stare at him. She had the same suspicion that their friend was carrying a secret, but never had the courage to ask about it.

"Is this true?" Erza sat and stared at the Dragon Slayer too.

"You guys..." Happy stared at them in turn with a sad expression.

"Come on, answer us!" Gray said, his voice dripping with impatience as he got to a standing position and in a quick movement grabbed Natsu's shirt and pulled him up, so they were suddenly face to face.

"Gray!" Lucy jumped to a standing position "You're going too far"

"No I'm not!" he growled and stared intensely at Natsu, who still didn't answer, but instead turned his head to look in another direction, as if the conversation was boring him "I've seen how you sometimes grab your bandaged arm, like there's something underneath it that's bothering you and I want to know what it is"

"Gray..." Happy sulked clearly in turmoil about what to do.

"Say it!" the ice mage spat.

"There's nothing..." Natsu narrowed his eyes in anger "... so stop questioning me"

"Don't take me for an idiot!" Gray snorted "I know something is there, you're just too stubborn and selfish to tell anyone about it!"

"That's not it!" the Dragon Slayer snarled and slapped Gray's hand away.

"Then what is it?!"

"It's nothing..."

"God damn it!" the ice mage ruffled his hair in frustration.

There was a flash of scarlet and glistening silver, as Erza in a quick move succeeded in cutting the bandages on Natsu's arm, that immediately starting falling towards the ground.

Time seemed to freeze as it did, until his arm was finally revealed for them to see.

The Dragon Slayer's eyes widened in horror and there was a flash of panic in his eyes, as he quickly grabbed his now exposed arm with his hand.

"What..?" Gray's eyes widened as he looked at the black markings that was sprawled on the fire mage's skin.

"... shit..." Natsu whispered but nobody seemed to hear him. All of them was too busy staring at his arm, transfixed by the turn of events.

As Lucy sat staring at the markings, when something seemed to click in her mind.

The feeling she got when she first saw him, after he had been gone for a year. It was still there but now it was more radiant, because the bandages had somehow isolated it.

 _Dangerous... a dangerous aura..._

Her instincts was on high alert and for some reason it evoked a primal fear inside of her, making a shiver go down her spine.

 _Zeref's unnatural interest in him... the demons..._

 _No..._ Lucy's eyes widened and her body started shaking uncontrollably, as fear itched its way through her system. As it did layer of cold sweat spawned all over her body, making her skin prickle.

 _His name... Natsu Dragneel... END... Etherious..._

"No..." Lucy whispered as she placed her hand above her mouth "... please god no..." her knees buckled underneath her, making her fall to the ground.

"Lucy, what's wrong?" Happy quickly ran over to her and placed a paw on her leg.

All of the others turned to stare at the frightened girl, who didn't say anything but just stared into thin air.

"Lucy..." Gray said surprised by her sudden reaction.

Erza didn't say anything but instead grabbed the handle of her sword as she quickly scanned their surroundings, to see if there was an enemy approaching. But there was nothing that looked just remotely threatening.

"Luce" Natsu voice was low as he narrowed his eyes in concern "What's wrong?"

"...I..." she started but the air got caught in her throat when her eyes locked with his.

 _No... please, it was too cruel. He didn't deserve it, no one did... why... WHY?!_

A million thoughts spawned in her head, making her clutch her head between her hands.

Her breathing was starting to become more irregular, evidently because she was starting to hyperventilate.

"Shit!" Erza spat as she quickly sat down in front of the girl and grabbed her shoulders "Calm down! You hear me?! I demand that you to calm down!"

It didn't help, as a matter of fact it looked like it was getting worse by the second.

Lucy's face was growing more pale and it looked more and more like she was about to faint.

"Let me do it" Natsu gently urged Erza to switch placed with him and she complied immediately and scooted over, making room for the Dragon Slayer "Lucy, can you hear me?"

She didn't answer but kept staring into thin air, with blank eyes.

"Come on, stay with us" he squeezed her shoulders gently "You need to relax"

"Wait! The bag from the burgers" Gray slammed a clenched fist against his other hand and quickly fetched one of the bags, he quickly handed to Natsu "Make her breathe into this"

"Why?" the Dragon Slayer said in a sceptic tone.

"Just do it okay"

"Fine" rolling his eyes, he took the bag into his hand and gently placed it above her mouth "Breathe into this"

Her breathing was still irregular and fast but it didn't take long, before it became less shallow.

"Good" Natsu smiled, glad to see the colour was slowly returning to her cheeks "You're doing great"

Closing her eyes she placed one of her hands on his wrist, as if she wanted to keep his hand steady, while she kept breathing into the bag.

After a while Lucy started to pull his hand away and he obliged to her motion.

"... thank you..." she whispered and stared down at her legs. Lucy was still shivering though, like she was suffering from a cold or something.

"You're welcome" he said hoping she would look up, but she didn't.

No, she was too occupied with the stuff going on in her head.

"... why...?" Lucy whispered in a fragile voice as she leaned her head forwards making her hair shadow for her eyes.

"Why what?" the Dragon Slayer asked in a curious voice "Why the bag worked? I have no idea"

A sad chuckle escaped her lips as she bend her knees and wrapped her arms around her legs, hugging them closer to her chest.

"No..." Lucy sniffled "... that's not it..."

"Then what is it..." he stared at her and was surprised when he noticed that tears was streaming down her cheeks, falling down and landing on her knees.

"Ohh..." his mouth formed a circle for a second, leaving him even more confused about her reaction.

A sigh escaped her lips as she started rubbing her arms.

"You cold?" he asked in concern.

"... yeah...?"

A cocky grin that revealed his teeth was on his lips, as he scooted closer to her and placed his arm around her shoulders.

"I'll warm ya" he said while pressing her closer to his body "No problem!"

"... thanks..." she muttered with a blush suddenly spawning on her cheeks.

"Are you okay now Lucy?" Happy asked as he went over to the girl.

All of the others had stayed quiet to make sure not to disturb Natsu in trying to stabilise and comfort the girl.

"Yeah.." she quickly wiped her eyes with her hands, to remove her tears.

They just sat in silence for a while when a sudden dark aura spawned.

A snarl of anger escaped from the Dragon Slayer who was the first to notice the presence, as he quickly got up and took a fighting stance.

"What...?" Erza muttered as she unsheathed her sword, ready for the incoming threat.

Gray didn't say anything put prepared himself as well, as he stood turning to see what they were dealing with.

Happy raised his paws as if he was a sudden kung fu master, ready to strike his enemies.

Lucy also got to her feet, but her knees was shaking both from the incoming aura, but also because of her emotional state.

"Such a pleasant place..." a voice suddenly said, making them all turn and look in its direction.

"Zeref..." Natsu growled and clenched his teeth hard together in anger.

"Indeed, so we meet again" the dark mage answered.

"What are you doing here?" Erza raised her sword ready to strike "Are you here to avenge the Spriggan?"

"Such a hostile atmosphere..." Zeref said in what could be interpreted as sad.

"No..." Lucy was shaking from fear and anger when she saw the book with the words END in Zeref's arms "No, no, no, no, NO!"

Not sure what else to do Lucy quickly stepped in front of Natsu and raised her arms to the side, like she was trying to form a wall, to shield the Dragon Slayer.

"Luce what the heck do you think you're doing?" Natsu asked feeling outraged "Get away from there!"

"No!" she said in a firm voice "Natsu YOU have to get away from here"

"What...?"

"Please there's no time for me to explain, just go!" The celestial mage urged, her voice dripping with panic.

"My, my..." Zeref chuckled as he gave Lucy the escalator look "... you figured it out didn't you?"

"Yes..." she spat at the dark mage "... please don't do this"

"You know what, not only do you look like your mother, but you're also as smart as she was" Zeref smirked, a hint of frustration in his voice.

"... you knew my mother?" Lucy's eyes widened in surprise.

"Knew her?" the dark mage started to laugh "I loved her, but then she selfishly died in my arms"

"... what?" her body stiffened in horror.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Natsu growled as he quickly stepped beside Lucy.

"If you want to know the full story, then I suggest you visit your old mansion" Zeref said ignoring the Dragon Slayer "There's a book there that explains everything, written by your mother. I found it not that long ago when I was paying the place a short visit. I don't know why I keep doing that, habit perhaps..."

"I suggest you clarify your answers, before I cut off your head" Erza threatened her voice dripping with malice.

"I'm sorry that it has come to this" Zeref sighed heavily as he glared at the ground "But unfortunately fate isn't in your favour"

"Who are you talking to?" Gray wondered out loud.

It all happened so quickly for their eyes to follow. One second Zeref was standing in front of them the next he was holding a hand against Lucy's chest, chanting something they didn't recognise.

"I'm sorry Layla... I'm sorry Lucy" Zeref had a pained expression on his face, as black magic shot out from his hand vanishing inside of the blonde who gasped in surprise.

"Ohh..." Lucy mouth formed a circle and she felt how her heart rate immediately started to slow down. Her body was weakening at such a fast pace, that it made her stagger on her feet.

"Luce!" Natsu roared as he grabbed her body as it started to fall towards the ground "What the fuck did you do, you bastard!"

"You'll see... yes... you'll see" the dark mage muttered as he started to vanish.

"Ohh no you don't!" Gray roared as he slammed both hands against the ground "Ice make floor!"

Ice quickly shot from his hands, towards the dark mage.

"Ahhh!" Erza shouted as she drew her sword and jumped into the air, prepared to strike the dark mage.

But it was too late for either of their attacks to reach.

Zeref was gone.

"Damn it!" Erza cursed as she landed.

"Tsch!" Gray spat in anger.

"Zeref..." Natsu snarled but quickly turned his attention back on the girl, that had gone completely limp in his hands.

"Ahh..." Lucy said as the Dragon Slayer gently placed her on the ground.

"You okay?" Natsu asked as he scanned her body with his eyes "are you hurt?"

"Yes..." her breathing as well as her heart rate was gradually becoming slower.

"Shit!" he placed two fingers on her neck to feel her pulse, noticing how it was weakening way too fast "Shit, shit, shit, SHIT!"

"What's wrong?" Erza asked as she sat down next to them, fear written in her eyes.

"She's..." panic was radiating from Natsu when he turned to face the armoured mage "... we need a healer"

"Understood" she nodded "Happy?"

"Aye sir!" he answered and spawned his wings before flying away.

"I..." Lucy voice was barely above a whisper, but Natsu heard her nonetheless.

"What is it?" he asked in concern and leaned closer to her face, to make sure he heard everything she said.

"I'm... freezing..."

"Ohh..." his heart seemed to skip a beat, making him flinch in pain before he grabbed the girl and held her close to his body "... here we go"

"Thanks..." she whispered, her head casually resting on his shoulder.

"Hang in there okay. Happy will be back any second now and we'll make you feel better" a hysterical laughter escaped his mouth "I promise, you'll be fine I'm not gonna watch you die again"

"..."

"You hear me?" his voice had an edge of madness to it "I wont allow it"

"Yeah..."

"Lucy..." Erza narrowed her eyes in concern, because the blonde's lips was starting to turn blue and her skin was becoming sickening pale.

"Hey, did you know that normal cats can't see what they eat, when they're eating? Because they can't see bellow their nose" Natsu stated with a weird smirk.

She didn't answer but he could feel her lips turning into a smile against his shoulder.

"And... and... some fish communicate with each other by farting! Isn't that amazing?"

"... yeah..." Lucy said, barely able to register what he was saying any more.

"This is taking too long" Erza was starting to panic as well, so she jumped and scanned her surroundings hoping to see the cat.

"... Nat...su...?" the blonde's voice was barely audible.

"Yeah?" Natsu answered but she didn't say anything right away, so he gave her body a squeeze trying to encourage her to talk "What is it?"

"... thank..." she tried to take a deep breath, but it was not nearly as much as her body needed to function "... thank you..."

"Why are you thanking me you idiot?" his body was starting to shake uncontrollably, knowing where this was going even if he was trying his best to deny it "I didn't do anything"

"... yes... for..." Lucy exhaled a long breath, before her body became totally weak in his arms.

Natsu waited and listened but couldn't hear her breathing any more. No she was completely silent almost as if.. _._

 _As if..._

"No..." he gritted his teeth against each other and placed the girl on the ground "No... no, no..."

Panic was rushing through his system as he turned his head to look at Gray and Erza who also looked like they were on the brink of losing their sanity.

"FUCK!" Natsu screamed in terror as he tried searching for her pulse, but he couldn't find it "No! I'm not having it!"

The Dragon Slayer immediately started performing first aid on Lucy pushing her chest and breathing into her mouth, hoping it would get her body to function again.

 _But nothing happened..._

 _No matter how hard he tried..._

 _Nothing..._

He kept doing it though... no matter what, this couldn't be it. He refused it... denied it...

"Come on..." his sight started to blur from the tears that was starting to gather in his eyes "... god damn it!"

Shaking he kept pushing and breathing air into her body.

 _Why didn't she come back?_

 _Why?_

"Lucy-san!" the sound of Wendy's voice echoed and momentarily filled him with gratitude.

"... Wendy..." he whispered and stopped his actions, as she started hovering her glowing hands above Lucy's body.

Nothing seemed to happen though.

"Wendy...?" Natsu narrowed his eyes as he glared at her shaking body "... oy... Wendy? She's gonna be fine right? You can fix this right?"

The healer bit her lips and shook her head.

"Sure you can... it's not like she's..." his voice cracked in pain as he turned his head to look at the blonde "... that she's..."

"I'm sorry... I'm so, so sorry" Wendy stopped her healing process and covered her eyes with her hands "It's too late..."

"... no..." Natsu snapped his head to look at Wendy and Lucy in turn "... it can't be..."

"... I'm sorry..." the healer whimpered, clearly distraught by the situation "I can't..."

"No..." shaking his head in denial he crawled over the celestial mage's body and placed his hands on each site of her body "... it can't be... Lucy please..."

Tears was now freely streaming down his face landing with low thuds on her face.

"Luce... you can't..." he sucked in his breath before placing his forehead against hers "... please"

His body started to shake more and more as his body was overwhelmed with sadness.

"... no..." he closed his eyes and placed his hands on her cheeks.

 _So cold... her skin was so cold against his warm skin._

Even her scent was gradually leaving her body, making the traces of her existence vanish like it was nothing. Like she had been nothing...

 _No, she had been everything... and now she was gone... gone forever..._

A new sort of emotion started to form in his body, that he didn't recognise. It wasn't fear, pain or anger... no it was something else. A sort of wanting to get justice but also a need to get away.

To vanish... to let someone else be in charge, because he couldn't bear this any more... he couldn't loose another one who was precious to him...

The feeling in his chest was so overwhelming but also welcoming, that he didn't fight against it, but let it sweep him away. As it did his body started to feel warmer. Like his veins was liquid acid, burning through his system.

An almost unnatural and primal scream escaped his lips as his body started squirming in pain.

 _No... no... no, no, no, no, no!_

His hands clutched his head as he got into a standing position.

 _Fucking hell NO!_

Pain was rippling through his body. It was weird because it was almost as if the pain was coming from his markings and not his heart... _weird huh?_

Another scream escaped his lips, making saliva stream down his chin as he suddenly feel to his knees, where he sat roaring at the sky.

He was losing it... slowly... he could feel it. That something else was gaining control of his body

 _Why couldn't he resist it? But more importantly, why should he resist it?_

The heat from his markings seemed to spread all over his body, until settling in different areas, but he didn't care. Nor did he care that it seemed like something was splitting his skull, as if something was emerging from his head.

 _No... she was gone... nothing mattered... nothing at all..._

 _Lucy..._

And then everything turned black.

* * *

 **A/N:** So I guess there are a few things I need to explain. The reason I choose this approach was because I wanted to take a simple route, that would somehow sneak around all of the plot balls Hiro has been throwing at us lately. With that said I hope both the Spriggan thing, the fight between the three fractions and END gets their own arcs, otherwise too much stuff will happen all at once.

With that said I was arguing with myself whether or not to include the huge fight after the Spriggan thing, but since I'm not sure I'm skilled enough to do that justice, I decided not to include it. Maybe I'll make it into a separate story, if I ever get confident enough to make a fiction that is purely based on battles.

So yeah even if it will be three arcs, the END thing might happen before any of the other things. However I think it would be nice, if he turns out to be the final villain, so the stuff in past comes full circle somehow.

In this chapter I unconsciously made Lucy's death similar to when Layla died, but I decided to keep it since it's beautiful and slightly romantic in that weird traumatic kinda way.

… so... now how am I gonna snake myself out of this situation, huh? You'll just have to wait and see as I leave you with this wicked cliffhanger, haha!

(if I manage to finish it I will update the story tomorrow)


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:** Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima

* * *

 _ **ACT III: Crossroad - Where demons roam**_

 _ **Approximately X793**_

 **Chapter 8: Isolation**

 _Zeref was carrying the book and eyeing it carefully, when it started to glow. It didn't take more than a few seconds before the light started pulsating, in an even and steady rhythm almost as if it was a heartbeat pumping in his hand. For each beat the book made, the smaller the light around the book became, signifying that the content in his book was synchronising and returning to the demon's body._

 _Before long the radiating light vanished, making the book in his hands nothing more than a hollow relic from the past._

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

"Yes for..."

Lucy exhaled a long breath and felt how her body seemed to become numb.

… _everything_

…

 _Huh?_

 _Why did that last word sound weird?_

 _Wait?_

 _Why did that sentence sound weird?_

 _And that one as well?_

 _What?_

 _WHAT?_

 _What was going on?_

Lucy opened her eyes and to her big surprise Natsu was right above her

"FUCK!" he screamed and evidently tried to search for her pulse "No! I'm not having it!"

 _What was going on? Why did he look like he was about to loose control?_

 _And why did she feel so strange? It was like she was still in her body, but she couldn't feel anything._

 _Like her body was either dead or drugged._

So yeah Lucy felt freakishly weird, especially when Natsu started performing first aid on her.

In a way it was a possibly a good thing that Lucy couldn't feel anything, because she could tell just by looking, that he was putting a lot of force into it.

And then there was the thing about their lips meeting...

 _Again and again and again..._

Lucy wanted to blush and she had no idea why. Well yeah sure she was a girl, who had fantasies and ideas about getting a boyfriend and eventually she knew she would experience her first kiss.

She never imagined it would be like this though...

 _Awkward..._

Well technically it didn't count, because he didn't kiss her. No, he was doing something to bring her back...

 _Wait, bring her back from where?_

"Come on... god damn it!" Natsu said in a frustrated tone making Lucy look up at him.

 _Why did it look like he was on the brink of cracking?_

 _She was right there! She was fine!_

 _So why did he continue performing first aid...?_

"Lucy-san!" Wendy shouted from somewhere in the distance but she couldn't see her, since she couldn't move her body. But suddenly the tiny healer was suddenly hovering above her.

 _Yes! This was a good thing! Maybe the healer could feel her presence? That she was still here, but she just didn't know... where? Or how to communicate?_

Feeling frustrated but also slightly paranoid, that Lucy might not be heard she started screaming in her mind and calling out for her friends.

"Wendy...?" Natsu turned his head to look at the girl "She's gonna be fine right? You can fix this right?"

 _Yes you can!_ Lucy screamed in her mind. _I'm right here! Don't look so down Wendy I'm right here!_

"Sure you can..." the Dragon Slayer said.

 _Listen to him Wendy!_

"... it's not like she's..." Natsu's voice cracked in pain, making Lucy flinch in horror and sympathy.

He turned his head and looked down at her "... that she's..."

 _Can you see me? Please... somehow... I'm right here! Yuuu-huuu!_

"I'm sorry... I'm so, so sorry" Wendy said in a sad tone and stopped the healing process, before covering her eyes with her hands "It's too late..."

 _No! No, no, no! Please! Don't say that!_

"... no..." Natsu looked at Wendy and Lucy in turn "... it can't be..."

 _You're right! It can't be, because it's not!_

"... I'm sorry..." the healer whimpered, clearly distraught by the situation "I can't..."

 _I'm not..._ Lucy's voice cracked painfully as she felt something inside of her shattering.

If she was in her normal body, she was sure tears would be falling by now. But nothing happened... all she could feel was her emotions ravaging, threatening to overwhelm her.

"No..." Natsu shook his head in denial, before crawling over the celestial mage's body, where he placed his hands on each site of her body "... it can't be... Lucy please..."

 _Natsu... I'm right here... please don't... don't cry..._

It was weird but she actually wanted to feel, the tears that was landing on her face.

Not being able to feel her body and knowing how her body would usually react was too much...

"Luce... you can't..." the dragon slayer sucked in his breath before placing his forehead against hers "... please"

… _I'm not... why can't you hear me? Why... why are you crying like that..._

"... no..." he closed his eyes and placed his hands on her cheeks.

 _Why do you look so fragile... shaking, crying... please... I don't want to see you like that..._

 _Please..._

Suddenly a unnatural and primal scream emerged from Natsu's lips as his body started to twist and turn, as if he was in pain.

 _What's wrong?_

Natsu clutched his head with both hands and got into a standing position.

 _Please tell me..._

Lucy watched as the markings on Natsu's arm started to glow and spread across his body, until the markings was covering various places.

 _It looked so painful... ohhh god... his scream... it was like listening to a tortured soul._

She had never heard anything so heartbreaking before.

 _Don't give in! Hang in there! Be strong and fight it! Come on don't..._

Lucy watched in horror as horns suddenly started to emerge from Natsu's head. When they were completely spawned, he stopped screaming and just stood there panting.

 _No... no... DON'T do this! Come back!_

Bewildered she watched as Erza approached him, her hand on the handle of her sword.

"Natsu...?" the woman asked while narrowing her eyes.

 _Erza don't... he's not him..._

"No" Gray's voice came from somewhere she couldn't see, but it sounded like he was both bewildered but also slightly angry "It can't be"

"What's going on?" Happy's fragile voice came from somewhere beside her.

"Natsu-san" Wendy's voice was shaking indicating that she was crying.

 _Please someone... save him..._

A high-pitched laughter escaped Natsu's mouth as he leaned his head backwards, almost as if he was laughing at the sky.

 _Yeah because the sky was incredibly funny... someone should give it an award for being so hilarious. Wait what was she thinking? Stupid, stupid Lucy!_

"I presume that you are no longer our precious comrade" Erza unsheathed her sword and pointed it towards Natsu's neck "With that said, I think I know who you are"

"Tsch, like d'uuuh?" Natsu spat with a hint of annoyance "You ain't as quick as the blonde girl, but it saves me the trouble of explaining myself"

"What?" Happy was suddenly standing in front of her almost shielding her view "Who?"

"END" Gray snarled in a voice, dripping with anger.

"No..." the cat shook his head "... it can't be"

"Ohhh yes!" Natsu's eyes widened making him look slightly crazy "Hell I am! And you know what?"

"What?" Happy said in a low and barely audible tone.

"I am the sort of demon that eats cats for breakfast!" he licked his lips "And I haven't eaten in like forever!" another laugh emerged from Natsu, making the cat flinch in horror.

 _Don't listen to him!_

"Anyhow..." Natsu turned his head to glare mockingly at Erza "... I'm not really in the mood to fight you guys right now, so do you mind looking the other way as tap dance my way outta here?"

"You know we can't do that" the armoured mage narrowed her eyes.

"Come on, don't you wanna see how awesome I am at tap dancing?" Natsu tilted his head to the side and smiled widely.

 _Wow, and you constantly say I'm weird..._

"Enough of your shenanigans" Erza snorted impatiently "Now tell us how we can bring back our friend you foul beast, before I cut your throat"

"I dunno" the demon shrugged "So I guess you'll just have to cut my throat. Like..." he motioned his claw like finger in a straight line across his throat "... sssshhht!"

"You..." the scarlet haired woman growled.

"So you also feel like slicing my throat Graa~aay?" Natsu chuckled "My best buddy!"

"Shut up!" the ice mage snarled.

"Whaaat?" Natsu pointed a finger in the direction she presumed Gray was "We totally are aren't we? You're my old pal and my favourite chump"

 _Don't fall for it, you know better than that!_

"I'm not your friend" Gray's voice was low and filled with anger.

"No? Ohh well I didn't think you were ready to go to the next level yet..." Natsu winked at the ice mage.

"What are you talking about?!" he shot back.

"You know what I'm talking about" the demon chuckled and waved with his hand "There's no need to be shy about it"

"Shy about what?!" Gray shouted impatiently.

"That we're totally in love with each other "Natsu winked and blew a kiss in the ice mage's direction "Just you and me, sitting in a tree... eating them apples"

"Holy shit have you gone mad?!" Gray yelled in outrage.

"Maaaaybe..." the demon started to laugh hysterically for a few seconds.

"You know what, I'm gonna kick your ass just for being an idiot" the ice mage spat.

"Ahhh well..." Natsu shrugged as he cracked his knuckles "... guess I can't avoid kicking your asses now, huh?"

 _No don't... please! Gray you know better than to fall for his taunting!_

Lucy saw dark flames spawning around Natsu and a second later she saw them all engaging in battle. Unfortunately or maybe fortunately, she couldn't watch all of it because they moved out of her field of vision.

Well not all of them, Happy was still standing next to her obviously shaken and traumatised from the turn of events.

The sound of the battle was horrifying and nerve wracking, especially because she couldn't see who was winning.

 _Or seriously injured..._

Lucy wanted to do something, anything but no matter how loud she yelled nothing happened.

No one could hear her screaming.

"What is this?" Erza yelled all of a sudden "I didn't take you for a coward. Come back here and fight me like a man!"

"Fucking idiot...!" Gray roared"... you better fucking come back here and remove this!"

"Hell naw, bro!" Natsu laughed cheerfully "I ain't got time to play with you, but call my secretary and we can set up a date, kay? A play date! Then I'll show you guess my toy collection and everything!"

 _What was going on? Why couldn't she see! Gosh darn it!_

"Ohh..." Happy started shaking uncontrollably.

"Move it..." Natsu said from somewhere not that far away.

"... n-no..." the cat raised his arms as if he was trying to shield her.

 _What the heck?!_

"... please Happy... I don't want to hurt you" the former Dragon Slayer pleaded.

"But..." the cat sniffled loudly.

"I'm not gonna do anything weird, I just wanna say goodbye to her"

 _Why would he want to do that?_

"I..." the cat reluctantly took a step to the side and a second later Natsu was hovering above her, his eyes sparkling in a red devious colour.

"... you stupid idiot... why did you have to go and get yourself killed" a sad chuckle escaped his lips as he gently scooped her into his arms and hugged her against his torso.

 _Huh? Wait what... huh?!_

"I guess I should thank you though. If you hadn't died then I wouldn't be here. But still... that was a high price to pay... ohh well" he said and gently placed her on the ground "Nothing is fair in life is it?"

 _Yeah, but why are you hugging me? This is freakishly weird!_

"Ohh but before I leave" he removed his scarf and wrapped it around her neck "I don't need this no more"

 _Why are you leaving that here? Why?_

"Ahhh, it's been ages, since I've felt this great" he said his face twisting momentarily, as if he was in pain "It'll change soon though..."

 _Change... what will change?_

"I can feel it..." he placed his hand on his face and peeked through his claw like fingers, his eyes glistening with madness for a second "... the anger... is building up... I can't control it much longer. I have to..."

 _Have to what? Please tell me..._

"... Natsu..." Happy whimpered, but the demon ignored him.

"Anyhow..." Natsu sighed "... I better get going, before I change my mind and somehow manage to kill those idiots... take care of her corpse cat" the demon waved his hand dismissively, before he started walking away and soon he vanished in the distance.

 _What... what happened... Happy..._ she looked at the cat who was silently crying his eyes out.

 _Ohh..._

Lucy didn't know how much time passed, as she listened to Erza, Gray and Wendy talking to each other. Unfortunately they were too far away for her to listen in on their conversation, so all she could do was lay there and listen to Happy crying.

 _Ugh... this was getting old and frustrating!_

After a while she heard them approaching and a second later they were all standing above her staring at her with tears glistening in their eyes.

 _Wait... not you too? Why can't you hear me, why can't you see me? I'm not dead..._

 _I'm not... dead..._

 _What if she would stay forever like this, captured in her body?_

The thought was horrifying, making her scream in frustration.

"I'll carry her" Gray said before placing his arms underneath her body.

None of them said anything as they started walking, presumably towards their guild.

She didn't know why they didn't talk... maybe they were too emotionally involved in what had happened, that they didn't feel the need to say anything.

 _Hopefully someone at the guild could sense her... if not... the future might be rather horrible._

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

Lucy was right in predicting the future would be horrible. Actually it was really heartbreaking, making the celestial mage feel miserable.

When they got to the guild, all the members there went frantic and started screaming, crying but also yelling in outrage. Some people hugged her, others started taking out their anger on objects. A lot was too shocked to do anything and some tried their best to comfort each other.

 _It was so sad... she never wanted to experience something like that..._

 _Because she wasn't dead! She was right there!_

 _They just didn't know that..._

After a while they placed her, in the room that was next to the guild hall, because looking at her unmoving was too much for them.

 _So now she was all alone...laying on an old bed..._

 _Greeeeat..._

Lucy laid cursing her unfortunate fate, when the door opened and a blue cat entered the room.

"I know you can't hear me..." Happy said as he stood next to her "... but I don't know where else to go..." he shook his head "... I want to be alone and yet... I don't..."

The cat sniffled as he started to cry out loud.

"It's... not fair" snot was now streaming out of his nose as well, but the cat paid it no attention.

 _And why would he? He thought he was with a corpse?_

Still crying the cat laid down on top of her body, hugging her tightly with his tiny arms.

 _Wait... should she be weirded out by this?_

They laid like that for a long period of time, when Happy suddenly seemed to stiffen.

"What...?" the cat mumbled and rubbed his head forcefully against her chest.

 _Oy, oy... perverted cat!_

"... no way..." Happy whispered as he laid perfectly still, with one ear pressed against her chest.

"Maybe it's just my imagination..." the cat muttered "... no... there it was again..."

Happy looked up at her before he stormed out of the room, only to come back dragging Wendy behind him.

"Please, just listen okay? I need to be sure it's not just me" the cat said in encouragement to the healer.

"Su-sure" Wendy stuttered as she found herself suddenly standing beside the celestial mage.

The girl let out a sigh clearly uncomfortable about the situation, before placing her head on Lucy's chest.

Nothing seemed to happen in a long time though.

"I'm sorry" Wendy said in a sad tone "but I don't think... ohh..." she jumped in surprise.

"You heard it?!" Happy asked enthusiastically.

"Yes!" the healer placed her head on Lucy's chest again, waiting for whatever sound she had heard a moment before to spawn again.

"I'm getting the master" Wendy nodded towards Happy and rushed out of the room. It didn't take long before she returned with the master who weeping behind her.

"Can't you..." he sniffled profoundly "... leave a poor old man alone to mourn the loss of his children"

"Please, you need to hear this" the healer urged.

"Listen to what?" Makarov wiped his eyes.

"I need you to listen to her chest"

"Her... chest?" the blush that had already been on his cheeks, due to him probably drinking his sorrows away, increased.

 _Aww hell no..._

The man coughed dramatically into his hand but she saw the lusty smirk on his lips, he was trying to hide from the others.

 _Ohh but she saw it! That perverted old goat!_

"Very well, if you insist" giggling Makarov placed his head on her chest.

 _Which he was rubbing way to much for her liking... eww! Talk about being necrophilic!_

"... what...?!" he suddenly became very still and listened more intently to the sound he had heard "what?!"

Makarov turned his to the healer looking both outraged but also eager.

"I know" Wendy nodded.

"But how... that shouldn't be possible" he rubbed his chin and gave Wendy and Happy a determined look "You guys stay here, I'll go get Porlyusica"

And with that said, he left the two to stare at each other for a few seconds, before they started staring at Lucy intensely.

 _Which quickly got rather awkward and weird..._

She didn't how much time passed before the master returned with Porlyusica.

 _Who still looked super terrifying._

"Mmm..." the elder woman grabbed Lucy's wrist and stood with it for a couple of minutes. Which made the blonde feel really uncomfortable.

"Well..." Makarov asked in a demanding tone.

"Zeref did this right?" Porlyusica asked in her cold voice.

"Aye" Happy answered in intimidation.

"Mmm... I see" the woman nodded "I think I know what this is"

"What?" Makarov narrowed his eyes at the woman.

"Suspended animation" the older healer sighed "It's a dark magic, where you force the body to shut down for a specific period of time, leaving it in some sort of stalemate"

 _Well that made sense!_

"Ohhh" the tiny man's eyes widened in surprise.

"Sorry, but I don't get it" Happy said while staring at his feet.

"It's like someone put her body on pause" the master said "Is that why we could hear something that sounded like a heartbeat?"

"Yes" Porlyusica nodded "When the time period of the spell starts to vanish, her own body starts to slowly pull itself back to life. However her body will be weak when it recovers, and needs time to do so"

"To life?!" Happy gasped in surprise "No way?!"

"Really?" Wendy asked in a cheerful tone.

"Were you listening to what I just said?!" Porlyusica growled, making Wendy and Happy yelp before they started hugging each other.

"But when? How?" Makarov asked.

"Soon, I would guess" the woman answered "If I'm not mistaken she is already here, trapped inside her own body"

"Ohh... hehe... so she might have seen that" Makarov chuckled nervously and rubbed his neck.

 _You bet I saw! And when I get back I'm gonna kick your ass so hard, that you'll receive a one way ticket to the spiritual world.._

"Did you do something perverted again?" Porlyusica looked at him with judgemental eyes.

"No, no! I would never!" he waved his hands in front of him in protest.

 _Tsch, fat old liar!_

"If that was all I'm going back home" the woman turned on her heels and stormed out of the room.

"That's good news!" Happy cheered and was about to leave the room to tell everyone, when he felt someone grab his tail.

"We'll keep this quiet until she wakes up" Makarov said.

"Why?" Happy asked looking bewildered "Everyone needs to know"

 _Yeah why?_

"Imagine if something went wrong and she doesn't wake up" the master said "I don't want to get their hopes up only to crush them again. Besides if she wakes up soon, we wont have to keep it a secret for long now do we?"

 _Ohh..._

"Okay..." the cat nodded "... in that case I'm staying here!"

"Me too!" Wendy clenched her fist in determination "Who knows how she feels when she wakes up? I mean maybe she needs me to heal her or something"

"You guys" Makarov was suddenly crying again "You're making your father proud"

Still with tears streaming down his face the tiny man left the room.

Happy and Wendy looked at each other and nodded.

Now all they had to do was wait.

* * *

 **A/N:** Enter the world of angst, oh yeah! XD

Right now END/Natsu sounds weird and insane, but you'll understand why he acts the way he does later on. I mean I don't want him to be 100% chaotic evil all the time, because I want him to be slightly more versatile. That makes him a far more interesting villain, instead of him only going on a rampage. Besides he's a guildmaster, so he must have some rationality somewhere, right? ;)

Thank you frozem1 for your reviews :) I can't answer guest reviews, but I want you to know that I really appreciate it *bro fist*


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer:** Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima

* * *

 _ **ACT III: Crossroad - Where demons roam**_

 _ **Approximately X793**_

 **Chapter 9: Answers**

 _A couple of hours passed by, before the next events would unfold..._

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

Wendy and Happy was fast asleep when Lucy started to feel her body again. The cat was sprawled out on her chest and Wendy was leaning against the bed, her head resting on top of her arms.

At first she got a shock, because it felt really weird getting the feeling back in her body. It was like her soul entered something extremely heavy and warm.

All though it was unpleasant it wasn't that bad once she got used to it. Of course that took a while, since the silence and nothingness had been so dominant for a long period.

For some reason she felt weak. Like all of her muscles was exhausted after exercising too much. Her heart was the weirdest though. Sometimes it would feel like it would skip a beat or just hurt like someone was squeezing it. She suspected it was because it was in the process of starting up again, so it took some time before it got back to it's usual rhythm.

Ohh and another thing Lucy noticed, was that her eyes was shut! That was freakishly weird, because she could clearly see everything, when she was in suspended animation.

A moan escaped her lips before she opened her eyes. It took a lot of effort, because her eyelids felt so extremely heavy.

"Mmm..." blinking she took in the room, that looked a lot different than it had before. Well for one thing it was slightly dark, but it was also like the colours were more dim.

 _Weird huh?_

Lucy forced her arm to move which took a lot of effort, but eventually she managed to place her hand on top of Happy's head.

"Mmm..." the cat blinked slowly as he turned his head to glare up at Lucy "... I'm tired... I don't wanna..." his eyes bulged in surprise.

"Ey..." her voice was low and raspy, from not being used in a while.

"Lu... Lucy!" the cat screamed, with tears shooting out of his eyes.

"Wha-wha-what?!" the healer woke up startled, only to find that Happy was hugging Lucy's neck and rubbing his face against hers.

"You... you're awake!" Wendy started crying too before she started hugging the blonde's torso "I.. I'm so happy"

"... me too..." Lucy whispered and hoped that her vocal chords would soon be warm enough to talk effortlessly.

"I... I have to tell master" Wendy removed her tears before she rushed out of the room.

"I..." Happy sniffled "I missed you"

"... missed you too..." she smiled wholeheartedly.

"Natsu..." the cat started but evidently he couldn't finish the sentence.

"... I know..." Lucy whispered "... I was there..."

"... yeah..."

They didn't say anything as they waited for the healer and Makarov to return.

"But why?" they heard Gray's voice coming closer to the room "Honestly I'm not in the mood for this right now"

"Shut up brat and come" Makarov said impatiently, as he opened the door and entered.

"Seriously I swear you're becoming more morbid..." Gray grumbled as he scratched the back of his neck, turning his head reluctantly to glare at Lucy.

Who was still being facehugged by Happy.

The ice mage's jaw dropped in surprise, when his eyes locked with Lucy's.

"... ey" the celestial mage whispered in a fragile voice.

"But... how?" shocked he shook his head, before going over and enveloped the girl in a tight hug "Damn it girl, I thought you were dead"

"... sorry..." Lucy smiled to herself, wanting to return the hug, but unable to move her muscles.

After a minute Gray removed himself from her, his eyes glistening from unheat tears.

"So how are you feeling?" Makarov asked and avoided looking in her direction.

"... fine... weak..." her eyes narrowed and the aura around her, become dark instantly "... yooou..."

"I didn't do anything I swear!" the master looked at the ceiling, clearly embarrassed.

"... pervert..." Lucy muttered, glaring with killing intent at the master.

"What did he do?" Gray narrowed his eyes suspiciously towards the tiny man.

"Never mind" Makarov faked a cough "The reason I brought you here, is that Lucy is too weak to walk on her own. In a moment I will make an announcement and I want you to carry her into the guild hall. Understood?"

"Pretty much, yeah" Gray nodded.

"Good..." the master turned around "... wait for my signal"

"Sure thing" the ice mage said and sat down on the bed.

Happy stopped hugging Lucy and sat down next to Gray.

"So..." he sighed heavily and rubbed the bridge of his nose "... I'm sorry I have to tell you this, but when we go out there you might notice that there's a person missing"

"She knows" Happy said in a sad tone "She was there"

"What?" the ice mage questioned "How?"

"... I'll... explain later" Lucy smiled sadly and could see that Gray felt relieved, that he didn't have to be the bearer of bad news.

They could her Makarov shouting something in the guild hall and not that long after they distinctly heard him roaring "Gray come out here!"

"Guess it's time" the ice mage said as he got into a standing position and gently scooped Lucy up into his arms.

"Ye-yeah" she blushed feeling somewhat uncomfortable, yet excited about seeing her friends again.

Trying to soothe herself, she managed to nuzzle her chin against the scarf that was still around her neck.

Wendy who had been silently crying in the corner, quickly opened the door so that the duo could exit the room.

 _So bright..._ Lucy blinked as the light of the guild hall hit her eyes, making everything a blur for the first moments.

The silence was almost deafening as she gained her sight and stared at the guild members, who staring at her with huge surprised eyes.

"Lucy!" Erza was in front of her all of a sudden "But how is this possible?!"

"Luuuu-chan!" Levy screamed and the next minute she was hugging the blonde "Waaaah!"

"It's a long story" Makarov said "And I'll fill you all in later, but for now..." he raised a keg "Let's celebrate!"

"Come on shrimp, give her some space" Gajeel said and smirked towards Lucy "Good to see ya manages to survive kid"

"... thanks..." Lucy smiled and watched as the iron Dragon Slayer dragged Levy away.

After that all of them roared and cheered before taking turns, to go up to greet Lucy and tell her how glad they were that she was still alive. Some in a more sober tone than others of course.

Eventually they left the blonde, giving her room to relax. After all she had just come back from the dead, so it was only natural to give her some space. Besides they knew, that the blonde had to talk privately with her team, to get some answers.

It didn't take long before everyone had been around her, making Lucy turn her head to look up at Gray who had been carrying her the whole time without complaining and just enduring it.

 _If it had been Natsu, he would have said it was like carrying a whale..._

The thought made Lucy slightly sad for some reason.

".Let's go find a table and talk, kay?" Gray asked while turning his head, evidently searching for something.

"Mmm-hm" she nodded and soon they found themselves seated at a table, together with Erza, Happy, Carla and Wendy.

"I'm so glad to see you're among the living" Erza smiled before she grabbed Lucy's head and slammed it against her armoured chest "But as you might have noticed already, we are missing someone"

"... yeah..." Lucy smiled sadly "I know..."

"What?" the armoured mage said in astonishment.

"I'll explain" Wendy looked at Lucy who nodded towards the healer.

It didn't take long for her to explain the situation to the others, who nodded and waited patiently for the healer to finish her explanation.

"I see" Erza rubbed her chin in thought "That explains everything"

"Yeah.." Gray sighed "It must have been hard laying there, not being able to do anything"

Lucy nodded "But what happened..." she coughed to clear her throat "... with your fight?"

"Right you couldn't see that" the ice mage placed his arm on the table and rested his head in his hand "Well we fought against... him... when he stopped the fight all of a sudden"

"Huh?" Lucy tilted her head to the side, feeling confused.

"He trapped us in a cage of black fire, making it impossible for us to continue the fight" Erza elaborated.

"Ohh..." the celestial mage's mouth formed a circle.

 _So that was what had happened. But why didn't he kill them then and there?_ Lucy wondered because according to her knowledge END was supposed to be the most evil and dangerous demon of them all.

"We've been talking about bringing him back" Erza stated "We want to form a group and find Tartaros, because we're confident that he might have gone back to his guild"

"Yeah and do it silently to prevent attention" Gray said while glaring at the armoured mage.

"A strong but small group... one that can provide fire power, but who can work together as well" the armoured mage said.

"And since we know most of members from that guild is... well taken care off, it shouldn't be too hard if we go in a small group. Especially since we've all gotten a lot stronger in a year" the ice mage said, confident in their plan.

"Okay..." Lucy nodded.

"We'll set the plan in motion once you've recovered" Erza placed her hand on Lucy's shoulder, trying to assure her everything would be fine.

"Mmm!" the celestial mage nodded and felt how tears was threatening to escape her eyes.

 _No matter what they would get him back. Even if they had to fight with tooth and claws._

"I sincerely hope you're not making any sneaky plans behind my back..." Makarov said, his eyes narrowed in suspicion as he took a seat by the table.

"Of course not master" Erza said stoically, but started to squirm and feel uncomfortable, when she felt the the tiny man glare intensely in her direction.

"Now that you're here, there's something I've been meaning to ask you" Gray said and turned to look at the old man.

"I suspect I know what you want to ask, but go on" Makarov nodded.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but ever since we rescued you from Albaras, I have suspected that you've been ignoring Natsu to some degree. Is this observation correct?"

"I wouldn't call it ignoring him" the tiny mage sighed loudly "all I did was try to observe him"

"Observe him?" Erza asked feeling confused "What would your motivations be for doing that?"

"Mmm..." Makarov grumbled "I guess it would be easier for you to understand, if I explain everything"

The group sat in anticipation and look at the master, as he started his story.

"You see it was back in the year X777, when Mavis approached me and said that there was a bunch of kids that needed my help and guidance. I didn't understand what she meant, but that was all she wanted to share with me. So without knowing why, I found myself wandering around searching in the woods and before I knew it I stumbled across Natsu"

"You found him?" Erza asked in surprise.

"Well yes" Makarov confirmed "But he was all alone. I asked him if he wanted to tag along and help me search for the other children, which he said yes to. But unfortunately we came out empty handed, because they were already too far gone"

"When you say the other children... could it be the other Dragon Slayers?" Gray wondered and rubbed his chin.

"I suppose so" the master answered "After that I asked the kid to go home, but he told me that his dad was missing so he didn't have a home. I must admit that the idea of such a small child wandering around all alone saddened me, so I said to him that if he didn't have anywhere else to go, he was more than welcome to join our family"

"Ahh..." Gray's eyes widened "... I remember that day you brought him in and showed him the guild"

"Of course you do..." Makarov smiled as he recalled that day in his memory.

"But I don't understand how this relates to these current events" Erza said and twisted in her seat to sit more comfortable.

Lucy couldn't either so she shook her head in confusion.

"I'm getting to that" Makarov said and waved his hand "Seven years after that incidence Mavis approached me again, this time however she was carrying bad news. Evidently Zeref had told her everything regarding the Dragon Slayer's origin, but also about a certain celestial mage that died in X777"

"... my... mom?" Lucy asked and coughed into her hand.

"I don't know for certain, but I suspect it might have been" Makarov said and looked rather sad.

"According to Zeref it sounded like he had a connection to her, so I think it's safe to assume it was your mother" Erza stated and smiled in sympathy.

"... yeah..." Lucy whispered to herself.

"Mavis didn't give me the specifics about it all, but she did tell me to keep an eye out for Natsu, because she knew that one day he would summon a certain key and if things turned wrong, then he would use it to summon the demon END. I asked what this key might look like, but she only shook her head and said I would know when I saw it"

"So you were also questioning why he suddenly was wearing that bandage?" Gray crocked his eyebrow.

"Yes I suspected it, but since I couldn't know for sure, I tried to keep my distance and watch. I mean what father would I be if I make wild accusations without solid proof" Makarov massaged the bridge of his nose "Or maybe... it was because I didn't want to believe that he was capable of summoning the demon ... maybe that was a mistake"

"You did what you thought was right in your heart" Erza smiled towards the guild master "No one can blame you for doing that"

"I wouldn't have believed it either, if you told me what you know" Gray stretched arms above his head "I mean sure can be an idiot, but he would never do something so reckless"

"Mm-hm!" Wendy nodded eagerly.

"You guys..." Makarov sniffled his eyes glistening.

Lucy nodded as well, before she rubbed her chin against the scarf, seeking comfort from the fabric.

Happy noticed her movement and sulked visibly.

"What is it Happy-san?" the healer asked.

"I was just wondering..." he pointed his paw towards the blondes neck "Why he left that behind?"

"... dunno..." Lucy whispered and narrowed her eyes, feeling really sad.

"There might be a connection... Happy you once told me that his scarf once absorbed an attack from Zeref turning it black correct?"

"Aye" the cat nodded.

"Well we know Zeref uses dark magic" the scarlet haired woman rubbed her chin and closed her eyes "If his demonic powers originates from the darkness, then perhaps he left it behind because he was scared of destroying it"

"But why would he care about that?" Gray wondered.

"Mmm, let's see..." Makarov furrowed his eyebrows in thought "... since he's a demon he uses curses. There isn't that much knowledge about curses but we know they are based on negative emotions"

"I see..." Erza nodded "... and since he wasn't consumed with his emotions back then, he still had enough rationality to leave the scarf behind"

The scarlet haired woman turned her head to exchange a look with Lucy.

"When he left..." the blonde narrowed her eyes recalling the memory "... he hugged me... goodbye"

"He did?" Wendy blinked in surprise.

"... uh-huh..."

"This is getting more and more weird if you ask me" Gray shook his head and exhaled loudly "END is supposed to be the most evil demon out there, so what he is doing is totally contradicting everything we know"

None of them had an answer to that, so they all sat in silence trying to consume all of the information that they had gathered.

"If you'll excuse me, I think that's all we'll gather from the things we've discussed" Makarov said and got into a standing position "But before I leave there is one thing I want to make clear"

"Yes?" Erza blinked towards the small man.

"Under NO circumstances are you allowed to sneak out and search for him alone!" his voice boomed as he pointed at each of them in turn "You hear me!"

"Understood" the scarlet haired mage nodded.

"Good!" the tiny man narrowed his eyes in suspicion, before he stomped away from them.

"Erza..." the ice mage smirked knowingly.

"Gray, you know I would never go against the master's wishes" Erza proudly raised her chin and smiled "However if we by any chance happened to have a mission or something in that direction..."

"... ohh..." Lucy chuckled understanding where this was going on.

"What...?" Happy blinked and felt excluded from the conversation "I don't get it?"

"I'll explain it when we get to Lucy's apartment" Gray said to the cat and got into a standing position.

"... my apartment?" the blonde blinked in confusion.

"Well yeah, where else? Are you ready yo go?" the ice mage asked.

"Uhm yeah sure, why?" Lucy asked.

"Isn't that obvious?" the ice mage smirked "I mean unless you healed during our conversation, I suspect someone needs to help you home"

"Ahh... yeah..." the blonde giggled ".. thank you"

"You're welcome, I guess I'll see you guys later then" Gray nodded towards the assembled members and a second later he had managed to get the blonde into his arms. .

So with that Lucy found herself being carried home, with a lot of new unanswered questions in her mind.

* * *

 **A/N:** Juvia is out on a mission... I mean if she wasn't the events in this chapter might have killed her O.o – and no it ain't romantic, he's just being nice.

Anyhow I've currently run into a wall in my mind.

Which is bad... really bad...

You see I got an idea from a review and in some aspects it's brilliant. In others... "sigh" it would mean that I have a lot more editing and typing to do. Also there's a lot material that I've already written, that I might have to scratch (which I don't mind, it's part of the process).

Mmm... I honestly don't know what to do, because if I go along with this new plan, then this story will get an additional arc that revolves around stuff I didn't want to include: the fight between the three fractions: humanity, an immortal and dragons.

But ohh boy... there would be so much more work I need to do... like wow... I honestly don't know what to do... I'll figure it out soon... I hope, lol - I'm so tired lately XD

Have a nice day y'all!


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer:** Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima

* * *

 _ **ACT III: Crossroad - Where demons roam**_

 _ **Approximately X793**_

 **Chapter 10: Round 1, fight**

 _It didn't take long for the small group consisting of Lucy, Erza, Gray, Wendy, Carla and Happy to form a plan, that would be set in motion, when the celestial mage had recovered from Zeref's attack._

 _The plan was rather simple and was basically in two parts. First they would divide into two groups, where one team would function as an infiltration team, while the other would serve as a distraction. Since Lucy was the bookworm in their group and was still slightly fatigued, they decided she and Happy would be the ones who would sneak into the guild, to try and search for vital clues, that might help when they were dealing with END. Happy was with Lucy both for moral support, but also to provide her with a way to escape, just in case they needed to flee._

 _Other than that they were counting on using Lucy as a trump card, that could possibly be used to appeal to Natsu's rationality, since he still though the celestial mage was dead._

 _While the infiltration team did their work, the other members would use their strength to take care of the fodder while Lucy and Happy hopefully found vital and useful information._

 _In the meantime Natsu managed to get back to his guild, but it wasn't a happy reunion as some might expect..._

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

Natsu sighed heavily as he slammed the door behind him.

In all honesty he sometimes hated his guild members. Truly and honest to god, they could be so annoying and incompetent.

Groaning he massaged the bridge of his nose, before walking over to a chair, he leisurely sat down in.

 _Seriously why did they always fuck things up, whenever he wasn't around?_

Of course they had tried to revive him, but that wasn't an excuse! A lot of members was killed in the process and he would not accept that! No he actually cared about his guild and the death of his members made that quite evident.

Natsu groaned loudly as he recalled his discussion with Igneel about values. Back then the dragon had tried so hard to teach him, that there was more to life than death and honestly in that moment the demon had to agree with the dragon, because there truly was more in his life that was worth living and fighting for, other than his one goal to kill Zeref.

 _Tsch! That was why he had to beat Jackal to a pulp. That fucking dumbass..._

Okay, so maybe he had lost control when that happened, but it was Jackal's own fault for taunting him by saying that the dead members wasn't a big deal.

Ohhh well, Natsu used the opportunity to let out some steam and release some of the madness, he had tried so hard to suppress when he was fighting his former friends.

 _And it felt ohhh so freakishly good!_

His eyes flashed in an ominous colour as he looked out of the window.

Even though he had just unleashed his powers, it wasn't enough to soothe the anger that was still prickling underneath his skin, making him feel restless and angry.

Well the fact that his guild only contained of five members was one thing, that fuelled his anger, another thing was how his comrades attitude towards him.

Jackal... well he was obviously an idiot and always had been, so that didn't surprise him.

Tempester seemed indifferent to the world around him, because he yet again lost his memory after Lamy revived him. Of course it wasn't Tempester own fault but it was still infuriating, that he acted like nothing mattered to him. That sort of attitude was the worst, especially because it reminded him too much of how he acted when he fought against Igneel.

"Idiot.." Natsu gritted his teeth hard against each other.

Okay so back to the remaining members of his guild.

Another one who was alive was Torafuzar and actually he was the only person Natsu could relate to, because even though he acted stoic, he actually took pride in being a part of the guild. And that in itself was enough for them to share some sort of mutual respect, but other than that they weren't really close. No, it wasn't like they were best buddies or something like that.

Seilah was also alive but she was always so quiet and spend her time in solitude. Obviously she was moaning the loss of Kyôka, which was okay with him if it wasn't for the fact that she never said or did anything, without looking like she herself was dead to the world. That he nor could or would accept, because it was pointless to be consumed with self pity. After all it wouldn't bring the lost members back going around crying about it.

The last member was Lamy... Dear fucking god, she had amazing and convenient powers, but because she had an unnatural interest in men, she was constantly trying to flirt with him.

 _And holy shit girl, he wasn't interested in touching her butt!_

Some members were gone or missing like Yakdoriga and Franmalth. Well some said they had seen Franmalth alive, but he didn't care what happened to him, since he didn't have the guts to stay at the guild and wait for his return. Yakdoriga was more or less Kyôka's pet and always kept to himself in the dark, so he didn't really know or cared what happened to him. If Kyôka was there then maybe he would pretend to be sad about it, just to make her happy.

Natsu exhaled loudly as he looked out the window at the ruins, that was left of his guild. Honestly he didn't mind that much about the collapsed buildings. He actually thought it was kinda funny that it was his former self, that took part in destroying it.

Speaking of destroying things, he really wanted to unleash his anger and go on a rampage.

A chuckle escaped his lips, that soon turned into a hysterical laughter.

 _Yosh, better get the insanity train rolling, before I end up smashing this place._

His eyes widened and sparkled in an ominous colour, as he got into a standing position, where he stood stretching his muscles, making some of the bones in his body crack.

"Ahhh, that's the spot!"

He went over to the wall and stared at a huge old fashioned mirror that was hung up on it.

"Ohh hello there you handsome demon!" Natsu winked at himself and smiled widely, revealing all of his glistening teeth.

"I'm the maaaaan!" he flexed his arms "A manly man! Ha!"

 _Awww yeah this felt good._

Grabbing a piece of cloth, he started polishing his horns.

"Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the most dashing of them all... me?" he blinked a few times before he pointed at himself "Me? Naaaw... really? Well thank you mirror, I think you're quite pretty too!"

When he finished polishing his horns he started waving with the piece of cloth.

"Help!" he squealed trying to portrait a girlish voice "I'm a beautiful girl who has been captured by a foul demon!"

"Heeey" his tone lowered considerably as he crocked an eyebrow, trying to look charming "Don't you think I'm a pretty demon? Aren't I the bomb, if ya know what I'm saying?"

"Ohh! Well yes!" Natsu said in a high-pitched voice and wiggled his butt "You totally are!"

"Well then..." he rested his forearm against the mirror and looked intensely at himself "... do you believe in love at first sight, or do you want me to walk by a few more times?"

"WAAAH!" he screamed in his fake girlish tone and pointed at himself "mister demon sir that is uncalled for!"

"Ohh really?" his voice was hoarse and low "You know what you look tired, you should go rest in my bed..." he winked teasingly "... the heat isn't on, so I'll make sure to keep you warm tonight"

The laughter that escaped the demon was almost deafening, making the muscles in his stomach ache from the sudden outburst.

When the laughing stopped he once more looked in the mirror. After a moment not doing anything he used both index fingers to pull his lips to the side before sticking out his tongue and wiggling with it.

 _He had a nice tongue meant for licking things... like food, walls, people, mirrors, potatoes and weird shit like that..._

A hysterical laughter escaped his lips as he felt his anger starting to evaporate, meaning he had managed to suppress it for now.

"Ohh?" he crocked his eyebrow and glared at his claw like hands more thoroughly "These thing? Yeah they're kinda neat right? Sometimes I get a manicure with the ladies... it's like" his smile widened "like totally girls gone wiiiild, haha!"

Natsu giggled as he spun around on his heels "Being so beautiful is a curse in itself"

Exhaling he went over to his bed and fell backwards, making him crash loudly on the bed.

"Yeah it really is..." using the tip of his claw he started poking his nose.

Natsu laid there for a while just staring at the roof, with narrowed eyes and a bored expression, when he heard a loud crash

"Ohhh?" the demon sniffed a few times and smirked to himself "Seems like entertainment is delivered directly today. How fortunate, I wonder how I should tip the delivery guy" chuckling to himself he made his way down towards the yelling sounds that was becoming more dominant.

 _Yosh, time to paint his guild a new colour! After all he had always liked the colour red..._

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

Lucy and Happy made their way into the guild, without getting noticed.

The search went by in silence, since they didn't want to catch any unwelcome attention.

After a while they entered a room, that looked a lot like a library and hopefully it contained the answers they needed.

"What do you think we should search for?" Happy asked while turning his head to take in the surroundings.

"I'm not sure" Lucy answered and unconsciously rubbed her arms "Lets just see if anything stands out"

"Aye!"

They searched the place trying to ignore the sounds that was coming from the outside, from what they knew were their friends fighting.

"Lucy come look at this!"

"What is it?" she quickly made her way over to Happy who was staring into what looked like a photo album, only it wasn't pictures but drawings. Well it would have to be, since the events in the drawings happened a long time ago.

"What..?" Lucy's eyes widened when she looked at it.

A lot of the pictures contained the members from Tartaros, evidently having a nice time at what looked like a party. It was kinda weird seeing that, but it shouldn't surprise them that the dark guild did other things than seeking their master or find ways to kill Zeref. After all they were living beings, who needed entertainment once in a while.

"Ohh..." Happy's eyes widened when he saw a specific picture in the book.

"I... no way" Lucy gasped in surprise.

"... aye..." the cat gulped.

In the picture END or Natsu and that Kyôka demon was sitting beside each other, looking really happy about something. It looked so normal and almost cute the way Natsu had one of his arms wrapped over the other demon's shoulder, looking at her like they were sharing a unique moment.

 _What the fuck?_

Lucy clenched her fist not sure how she felt about that. Angry, bitter, jealous...

"Cute isn't it?" a voice said from behind them, making them flinch in surprise and quickly spin around, to face whoever it was.

"All though such a handsome dude, shouldn't be hugging her" Lamy placed her hand on her forehead and looked serious "Not when I'm around"

"... what?" Lucy narrowed her eyes.

"Yeah he should be hugging me" sparkles was suddenly emerging from the girl "Especially because I'm sure he's totally fab, when it comes to kissing" she looked serious again "That's why he's mine, you ugly bitch"

"You..." Lucy's voice was dripping with anger.

"She doesn't look like his type though" Happy said to Lucy, hoping it would soothe the celestial mage.

"Uh-huh" Lucy jumped backwards and raised her key "Open, Gate of the Bull. Taurus!" she then pushed the key against her chest "Stardress, Taurus form"

"Mooh!" Taurus roared and took a second to glare at Lucy, hearts spawning in his eyes.

"Not now" Lucy sighed impatiently.

"Ohh?" Lamy smirked and wiggled her butt "He looks tasty. I guess I'll eat him, when I've messed up your ugly face"

"I don't have time for this!" the blonde raised a clenched hand and before Lamy got a chance to respond, she was hit directly in her face. The power behind the attack was so strong it made the demon airborne, where she was greeted by Taurus's axe, who sent her flying in another direction.

"Me too!" Happy summoned his wings and collided with the poor girl, directly in her stomach.

"Ugh!" Lamy moaned when she hit the wall and glided down on the ground, where her body started twitching before going limp.

Evidently the combined attack, was enough to knock the girl unconscious. Which was kinda neat!

"Talk about being the strongest team, huh?" Lucy laughed as Happy came over and gave her a high five.

"Aye!"

"Mooh!" Taurus clenched his fist and cheered as well.

"Okay, let's see if we can find anything in here" Lucy said while turning around and to her surprise they weren't alone.

"Zeref!" she gasped in horror.

"I can assure you, that you won't find anything here" the dark mage smirked.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, a sudden chill running down her spine.

"I wanted to thank you" his smile widened "Your role in this is far from finished"

"What?" Lucy narrowed her eyes and grabbed the handle of her whip.

"You'll see" Zeref raised his hand and before the celestial mage had a chance to do anything, everything turned black.

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

Gray watched as Erza barged into the guild and a second later their group stood, waiting for what might happen next.

It didn't take long before they heard the sound of footsteps and out emerged a certain pink haired demon, who was clapping for some reason.

"Guests!" Natsu laughed as he licked his lips "How excellent!"

"Tsch!" the ice mage snorted "Guests my ass, you know this isn't a social visit"

"What the heck is going on?" Jackal grumbled and scratched his neck, when he saw the intruders "You guys?!"

"Now, now don't be rude" Natsu smirked "After all these guys might provide us with some fun"

"As if" Jackal yawned loudly,

"Shut the fuck up!" the former Dragon Slayer snarled "Or I'll take care of you myself, before taking care of these guys. Aaaanyway!" he turned his head towards the group "Who will fight me, huh?"

"Let's get this over with!" Erza unsheathed her sword and rushed towards Natsu.

"You? Why doesn't that surprise me" the demon's eyes flashed red in amusement and shortly after that the two of them engaged in battle. It didn't take long before other fights started as well, since the rest of Tartaros joined in on the fun all of a sudden.

Knowing that time was of the essence, Gray didn't waste ponder about it but quickly summoned his Demon Slayer powers, before he dodged an attack from Torafuzar.

"We don't have time for this" he flicked with his wrist "Instantaneous Freeze"

As the name says, the ground around him froze the same instant, consuming the four demon's bodies in ice.

"Now Wendy!"

"Okay" the small girl took a deep breath her cheeks bulging "Sky Dragon's Roar!" the attack hit the demons head on, shattering the ice, that had contained them. In the meantime Gray had created a huge sword, which he raised above his head, before he started slashing the paralysed demons.

A moment later the enemy or fodder, was lying unconscious in a pile on the ground, eyes twirling from the sudden defeat.

"Nice done Wendy" Carla was in her human form and smiling towards the girl.

"Thank you" the healer smiled brightly in return.

"Come on you guys we don't..." Gray because in the corner of his eyes he spotted a flash of scarlet, that was sent flying.

"Erza-san!" Wendy screamed and ran over to the woman who was struggling to get up, but nonetheless did. In the short amount of time she had fought the demon, she had received a horrible amount of wounds and bruises.

"I'm fine..." the woman panted in pain and grasped her right arm, where a huge wound was bleeding profoundly "... tsch!"

"Ahh come on, don't you tsch me?" Natsu came strolling casually, a big cocky smile on his lips "A little more scarlet looks good on you, don't you think?"

"You fiend" Erza snarled as she summoned her Flame Empress Armor and in a quick movement grasped the hilt of her sword.

"Snap out of it already!" Gray roared as he sprinted over to the demon, leaping into the air to gain more momentum, for when he smashed the sword against his opponent.

Chuckling the demon easily sidestepped away from the attack, making the ice mage skid when he landed on the ground again.

"I'll support you" Wendy motioned with her body before casting the spell "Arms!"

Both Erza, Carla and Gray felt how the spell increased their power level.

"Thank you" Erza said before letting out a battle-cry and storming up to the battling duo "Hah!" she slashed with her sword, but Natsu bend his knees, making the sword glide through thin air above his head.

Taking this as an opportunity Gray brought down his sword in a straight line, hoping to catch the opponent while he was sitting down, but unfortunately Natsu managed to dodge that as well, as he sidestepped away.

"Well, well..." the demon chuckled "... look who's mister popular now. Ha! And I don't even have to strip, like someone else I know..."

"Shut up!" Gray snarled and tried slicing him again, this time however instead of dodging Natsu caught the sword with his hand.

"All though I don't mind being popular, this is getting old" a sad smile was playing on his lips, as jerked the sword out of Gray's hands and he send it flying in Erza's direction.

Gray, Wendy and Carla watched in horror as the sword pierced the woman's stomach, making blood sprawl in a sickening way.

"Shit!" Gray snarled but fortunately Wendy was quickly by the mage's side and started healing her.

Carla was frozen in her spot and stared at the scene. It was all too terrifying, that she had lost her ability to move.

"Ohh my... now why would I do something like that, huh?" the demon laughed hysterically, his eyes glistening with amusement.

"Because you're a fucking lunatic!" Gray spat in anger.

"Maybe..." he tilted his head to the side and raised an eyebrow "... or maybe I'm being clever since I just took out the rest of your team"

"What..."

"It's only you and me now, my super best friend in the world!" laughing he pointed in his direction "Old paaaal, old chuuuump!"

"I told you not to call me that!" fuming with rage the ice mage dove into the fight again head first.

"Ahhh, what's the matter? Don't you like me any more?"

"I said..." the ice mage growled "... to shut UP!" he flicked with his wrist "Instantaneous freeze"

Ice shot up all around them, leaving huge mountains of ice around them.

Chuckling the demon spawned his dark flames, which easily took out the ice that was coming in his direction.

"Ohh..." Natsu smirked "... you're trying to redecorate my guild now, huh?"

"Tsch!" Gray snorted impatiently.

"Or were you trying to get me to chill? Wait, wait, wait!" he frantically waved with his claw like hands in front of him "You wanted me to freeze? Well I can do that!"

Natsu raised his arms up into the air, sucked in the air making his cheeks bulge before he stood perfectly still.

"Damn, your puns are even worse than they were before" Gray's eyebrow twitched in annoyance.

"How can you say that?" Natsu sniffled theatrically and glared at the other mage with huge puppy dog eyes.

"... what...?"

"Ahhh!" the demon dramatically placed his arm on his head "You hurt my feelings bro and now I'm gonna cry"

"... what?!"

"Gray-san it's rude making your opponent cry" Wendy shook her head in disapproval.

"I agree" Erza also shook her head.

"What the heck?!" Gray's eyes bulged in surprise "Don't tell me you bought that piece of crap?!"

"Does..." the demon sniffled profoundly "... does this mean you're breaking up with me, honey?"

"What's wrong with you?!" the ice mage said in outrage.

"You totally are aren't you?" Natsu turned around so his back was towards the group "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go to my room and have a mental breakdown"

"Like heck you are! Come back here!"

"You..." he peeked over his shoulder "... you want me back?"

Gray moaned profoundly "That's not what I..."

"Thank you!" the demon launched himself and the next second he was firmly hugging the ice mage against himself "I knew you wouldn't give up on me so fast! Old buddy"

"Nnngh!" the ice mage was frozen stiff in shock, especially when the opponent started rubbing his chin affectionately against his head.

"Such a beautiful story" Erza beamed proudly.

"You... you think so?" Wendy smirked, and doubted whether or not the woman had hit her head.

"Well I guess that's enough of that..." Natsu stopped the hug and took a step backwards.

"Uhm..." Gray stuttered still feeling uncomfortable.

"I guess it's time we get serious" he brought his hand up to his neck and snapped it to the side making it crack loudly.

"Yes" the ice mage immediately got into a fighting position.

"After all" the demon cracked his knuckles "I would be a pretty bad guild master if I didn't punish you, after the things you did. Besides..."

All playfulness was gone from the demon that same second, as his eyes flashed red with something ominous and lethal. It was almost like a predator, who had spotted his pray and was ready to go in for the kill.

"Besides ...?" Gray asked, not sure if he wanted to know.

"... you're partly to blame for her death..." the demon whispered in a low inaudible tone.

"What did you say?" the ice mage asked, since he couldn't hear what the demon had said.

"And that.. is unforgivable.. yes... I let it slip that time, but now..." the demon clenched his hand as black flames started engulfing it "... now I want to unleash it... yes... to make you pay, for everything"

"What?" the ice mage asked as he watched how the black flames grew in intensity, before spreading out and covering the demon's body.

"I'm sorry..." Natsu chuckled darkly "... but the fun ends here" his eyes sparkled revealing his hidden anger momentarily, before a high-pitched and ear deafening scream escaped from the demon.

It was a dreadful sight, making the ice mage freeze in horror as he watched the demon transform.

At first Natsu's horns became slightly bigger in size as they started to stretch backwards. While this happened red and black scales started to appear cross his skin, covering him like a protective layer.

There was a nasty ripping sound making a painful scream escape from the demon, as something started to emerge from the demon's back and soon a pair of black and red wings unfolded behind him.

"No..." Gray gulped and felt a shiver run down his spine, because the aura was becoming so filled with hatred and anger, that it was like the air itself had become toxic.

Natsu was heaving and clutching his head between his hands, when his feet started to grow as well before they took an appearance that matched his demonic claws, that also grew in size, making them look a lot more sharp and lethal.

"Ahh... haa..." the demon had his eyes closed when the transformation finally finished.

"You..." the ice mage felt a drop of sweat run down his forehead.

"Yes me..." Natsu said his voice dripping with malice "and this is goodbye... Gray Fullbuster"

The demon snapped his eyes open and glared at the ice mage, who momentarily flinched before cursing in defiance.

His eyes... his pupils were glowing in a more distinct and viscous red colour and the whiteness in his eyes had turned completely black, making him look so much more demonic and vicious than he had before.

It didn't take more than a second before they started fighting again. This time however it was rather evident that the demon hadn't taken them serious in the beginning. No, he had been playing and toying with them like he was a cat, having fun with a defenceless mouse, before eventually going in for the kill.

Furthermore the transformation had increased the demon's power level, making him so much harder to fight against.

Fortunately it didn't take long before the girls entered the fight again, but that didn't even the odds.

 _This was bad... really, really bad._

* * *

 **A/N:** Natsu is the insane pimp of his castle, bro!

And Zeref... seriously duuuuuuude, DUDE! No! Get outta here, it's a private party...

I'm not that great in creating fighting scenes, but it's fun even though it's hard...

Ohh and making the Tartaros member casual fodder/red shirts made me really happy. Maybe it was my own personal revenge on them, lol :D

Anyhow the members left in Tartaros is purely based on what is listed on the Wiki, about who is alive or has an unknown status. Some of the unknown I didn't want to include and some I excluded, but essentially it didn't really matter since they were KO'ed so quickly.

As you might have noticed, I changed the act name because I decided to take on the challenge and include the battle between Achno, Zeref and humanity... yup, yup I'm mad... utterly mad... so yeah the last act will be Ragnarok – the faithful encounter, when that time comes.

Bonus info: Lucy left Natsu's scarf at home, because she wanted to make sure it wasn't harmed.


	11. Chapter 11

**Warning:** bloooooooood and fighting incoming in this and the next chapter... so if you're a vampire then you might like it... yeah that would be something... neat... if you're a vampire... uhm... yeah...

 **Disclaimer:** Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima

* * *

 _ **ACT III: Crossroad - Where demons roam**_

 _ **Approximately X793**_

 **Chapter 11: Round 2, fight**

 _The fight had been going on for what felt like a long time, between the team and the demon. At first it looked like they wouldn't stand a chance especially because of the demon's almost blinding fury. But once they started countering, it looked like they might have a slim chance of doing something against their opponent. Even though they carried this new found hope, it didn't change the fact that they were all receiving some terrible blows, that left them wounded in various places._

 _They all knew that if the fighting continued, their chances of coming out victorious would become more slim. Unless of course Lucy and Happy managed to find the answer to reverting him back, in which case defeating him was insignificant..._

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

Gray was struggling to breathe after he had received a massive blow to his stomach, that knocked the air out of him.

It was a hard battle despite of the fact that his demon slaying magic could resist some of the effects from Natsu's curse. However it wasn't enough to shield himself completely.

"Is that all you've got?" the demon hissed, his eyes glowing as he glared in his direction.

"No we're just getting started!" Erza roared as she requipped into her Purgatory Armor and started running in his direction, raising her sword above her head when she was close enough to hit him.

"You really have a death wish don't you?" the demon growled impatiently as he raised his arm, to protect himself from the incoming attack, which hit him a second later.

"We will get him back, no matter what it takes" Erza narrowed her eyes and glared back at the demon, trying her best not to be intimidated by his cruel aura. Which was easier said than done, because the aura was constantly there, making the air feel heavy and uncomfortable.

"Ohh yeah?" Natsu smiled widely a hint of insanity momentarily glistening in his eyes "You really think you got what it takes?"

"Yes we do!" Gray snarled with a large bow in his hands "Ready Wendy?"

"Yes!" the girl nodded and the same second the ice mage started shooting, the girl yelled "Sky dragon's roar!"

The wind hit the arrows, increasing their speed and raising their magical powers as they flew towards their target.

Natsu noticed the arrows from the corner of his eyes and easily dodged them, while simultaneously defending against Erza's blows.

"As if such small arrows can affect me anyway" the demon chuckled mockingly.

"Wendy, Carla..." Gray forced more of his slayer magic into the bow "... now!"

"Got it!" The healer ran as fast as she could, with the exceed running beside her. When they were close enough they both jumped into the air, raising their legs, ready to deliver a kick to the demon.

"Sky Dragon's Claw!" Wendy yelled making wind form around her leg, giving her kick more momentum and power.

"Tsch!" Natsu spat and looked at the approaching duo with a somewhat bored expression "Little girls should stay home and play with their toys"

He easily evaded the two of them making their kicks hit the ground that started rumbling and crack at the impact.

"Erza!" Gray roared.

"Yes" she requipped into her Heart Kreuz armor and summoned a huge hammer "Haaarrr!"

The hammer hit the demon with so much power, it made him skid backwards a few feet.

"Ice Devil Zeroth's Destruction Bow!" Gray yelled and an instant later he shot a large arrow from his bow.

This went by unnoticed by the demon because the hit from Erza had shocked him momentarily. He noticed it though when it hit right shoulder.

"Argh!" the demon roared in pain as ice spikes and blood, shot out from where the arrow had hit him.

"Gotcha" Gray smirked and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

"You..." Natsu snarled in anger as he started breaking the ice spikes and throw them away "... I'll get you for this"

"Be careful" Erza swung her arm to the side, before exchanging the hammer with a gigantic sword.

None of them said anything but glared at their opponent as he summoned more flames that evaporated the remaining ice.

With an incredible speed none of them had expected Natsu launched himself again and before any of them had a chance to act, the demon had smashed his claw into the exceed, who was sent flying with a scream.

"Carla!" Wendy yelled in panic as she watched the girl fly, before eventually hitting the ground, where her body started rolling around before she eventually turned still.

"I'm..." the exceed was panting and clearly struggling, as she turned into her original form "... I'm fine..."

The healer quickly ran over to the cat and started healing her.

"No..." Carla shook her head "... they need your help..."

"It's okay, I'll just heal the worst"

"You bastard!" Erza roared in fury as she once more tried striking the demon, but the sword was met with his clenched hand that was surrounded with fire.

As they kept fighting Gray tried catching the demon with one of his smaller arrows, but none of them hit their target.

"You ready to get cooked?" the demon asked before sucking in his breath.

"Shit!" Erza turned her head and knew the girls would be caught in the crossfire unless she did something fast. So with that in mind she quickly requipped into her Adamantine Armor, and used herself and her armor as a shield, from the dark flames that came an instant later, and bathed everything in an uncomfortable heat.

"Tsch!" the ice mage spat as he watched how Erza's armor started to crack and melt from the incoming heat. It didn't take more than a few moments before he had prepared another one of his big arrows which he sent flying. This time it hit the demon in his left leg and once more blood and ice spikes spawned where it hit.

"God damn it!" Natsu roared in fury as he removed the ice "That's it!"

The intense and furious aura around seemed to grow in volume, making the air heavy and warm thereby making it harder for the team to breathe.

A low ferocious growl formed in the demon's throat before he made a loud and fierce battle-cry, as he launched himself at Erza. This time he managed to grab the woman's head and a second later he slammed her down into the ground, making Erza yell in pain.

"Shit!" the ice mage cursed as he dissolved his bow and ran as quickly as he could, while slamming a clenched fist against his other hand "Ice make scythe!"

When the weapon was summoned he jumped into the air and raised it behind him, forcing it downwards when he was close enough.

"As if..." Natsu snorted and parried the incoming attack with his forearm, still holding on to the Erza's head, which he started crushing with his hand making the woman scream in pain.

There was the nasty sound of bones starting to crack, signifying that any minute her skull would break, unless he prevented it somehow.

"Let go of her!" Gray roared pressing the scythe more forcefully against his opponent.

"Fine!" the demon casually threw the woman away, making her body roll on the ground before eventually stopping.

"Erza-san!" Wendy yelled before running over to her.

"I'm... ugh..." the woman flinched in pain, her vision was darkening and blurry indicating her head had taken a massive hit.

"I'll get you, hold on" the girl said and started emergency healing.

"Come on!" Gray narrowed his eyes in anger "Snap out of it already!"

"No you snap out of it!" he spat back "It's all your god damn fault!"

"What are you talking about?" the ice mage furrowed his eyebrows.

"How dare you say that like it's nothing!" Natsu snarled his eyes widening momentarily before narrowing in anger "You piece of shit!"

Gray didn't see the demon raising his claw, but he felt it when it dug into the meat of his arm.

"Argh!" he exclaimed in pain, before quickly jumping backwards, where he quickly glanced down to see how grim the wound was. Fortunately it wasn't that bad as he knew it could have been, but it was enough to make it drip with blood.

The demon launched himself and pulled his leg backwards, making black fire spawn around his foot before he delivered a roundhouse kick to the ice mage's stomach.

"Ugh!" Gray groaned as he skidded backwards from the impact.

"You'll pay!" Natsu's eyes shone with pure madness and anger "I'll make you pay for what you did!"

"For what?!" the ice mage snorted in annoyance.

It was only there for a brief second, but Gray could swear that he saw sadness and regret overwhelming his opponent. But just as quickly as it spawned it vanished, making the mage confused and question his own sanity.

"Ohh... I'll spell it for you" the demon laughed hysterically "... yes I'll write it in capital letters on your face, with my fists!"

"I would like to see you try!" Gray snarled in anger as he watched his opponent jump into the air, where he flapped with his wings to gain more speed "Ice-make crescent blades!"

A lot of ice crescent shaped ice projectiles spawned which he sent flying in the demon's direction, who dodged them by flying in between them and ducking downwards whenever the projectiles came too close.

Suddenly a lot of swords was mixed in with the ice projectiles and Gray didn't need to turn his head to know that Erza was back in the fight and had summoned her Heaven's Wheel Armor.

"Armor!" Wendy yelled and increased Erza and Gray's defense power "Arms!" the healer continued making their offensive more potent.

"Thanks!" Gray managed to say before turning to smile at the girl who had fallen down on her knees "You take a break, you hear?"

"N-no..." Wendy stuttered and tried getting into a standing position "... I can... still..."

"We might need your healing later on Wendy" Erza argued and felt a drop of sweat run down her forehead "So please leave this to us"

"Ohh... okay..." the healer sighed before crawling over to the exceed.

A sword hit one of Natsu's wings making him flinch in pain. It was obvious that he really wanted to get down to his targets but it was hard, when they we're both using long distance attacks.

"Tsch!" the demon snorted angrily as he flew in a zigzag pattern and away from the two mages.

"What is he doing?" Erza narrowed her eyes and watched their opponent.

"Don't know" Gray answered.

They both watched in wonder as Natsu opened his mouth and a second later a deafening and ear piercing shout escaped from the demon's mouth. The sound volume was so loud and intense, that it was like an audible shock wave was unleashed on them.

"Shit!" Gray cursed as everything around him started to shake from the unbearable sound. It was so unnatural and filled with both pain and anger, that he had to stop his attack and place his hands above his ears.

Erza was trying her best to keep on her attack, but eventually she also had to succumb to the effects of the attack and cover her ears.

When the scream or shout stopped, they both felt like their bodies were somehow more numb than it had been before. It was like all of their cells had been vibrating for a long period of time, so when the shout stopped it was like their bodies were trying to comprehend to suddenly being still.

So they were rather defenceless when Natsu dived down and managed to catch each of their heads in his claw like hands.

"Curse.. it" Erza managed to mutter as the demon held them in outstretched arms, clutching their skulls firmly, making them both scream in pain.

"I wonder what you look like inside those heads of yours" Natsu growled, his red pupils glistening in anger "Especially the ice prick... he's so oblivious and stupid for not knowing... not getting it..."

After a few seconds the demon evidently seemed to change his mind as he knocked their heads together, making their eyes widen in both surprise and pain.

"Argh..." Gray grumbled as he watched the demon jump backwards and away from them, where he opened his mouth and sucked in the air, making his cheeks bulge.

Not thinking twice the ice mage quickly grabbed Erza and held her close to his own body, before he rolled around on the ground and away from the dark fire that was sent flying in the direction they had just been in.

"Thank you" Erza expressed her gratitude when they were away from the attack and could safely get into a standing position.

"Yeah..." Gray said while eyeing their opponent carefully.

The demon stood perfectly still as he slowly raised his arm and pointed in their direction.

"You..." Natsu's voice was hoarse and dripping with malice "... your attitude is pissing me off"

"How so?" Erza wondered as she requipped into her armor that contained fire patterned pants and a bandaged chest.

"Because you're acting all high and mighty like nothing happened!" Natsu roared in fury and threw his arm dismissively to the side.

"And I keep saying I don't know what the heck you're on about!" Gray yelled back and prepared his hands, to summon anything in a millisecond if he had too.

"I see" Erza nodded stoically "It's about her death isn't it?"

"You..." Natsu narrowed his eyes as he glared in her direction "... how dare you say it so casually?"

"I dare say it like that..." the scarlet haired woman took a deep breath before continuing "... because she isn't dead"

"What...?" the demon clenched his fist, making the claws dig into the flesh of his hands.

"Lucy isn't dead" Erza stated in a stern voice.

"Yeah that's right" Gray confirmed but kept his eyes on the demon, who was starting to shake visibly.

"You..." Natsu lowered his head "You're saying she isn't dead?"

"Yes" the armoured mage nodded.

"Really?" the demon put more force into his fists which resulted in him puncturing his own skin.

"Yeah, she ain't dead" Gray narrowed his eyes unsure of what would come next.

"You would say that wouldn't you..." his head snapped back up, making him glare at his opponents with eyes that shone with pure and unlimited hatred "... too fucking bad I don't believe your bullshit!"

"Natsu..." Erza said in a sad tone as she prepared herself for the incoming attack.

"No! Don't you Natsu me!" the demon growled sending saliva flying "First you don't acknowledge her death and now you claim she ain't dead?! How fucking morbid and insulting can you guys get?!"

"We can explain..." Gray tried but he knew that it was a fruitless effort.

"No! I'm not gonna listen to your insane and lame excuses!" once again it looked like there was a hint of sadness in the demon's eyes, but it quickly vanished as black flames engulfed his hands.

"Guess we'll just have to show you then" the ice mage sighed.

"Tsch, yeah good luck making her corpse look like a living person, dumbasses" Natsu spat as he launched himself and once more they were engaged in a fierce battle.

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

Lucy opened her eyes and was surprised at how bright it was. Actually it was really unnatural because it was like the light was everywhere and came from more than one source. It was almost like she was bathing or swimming in a sea of bright light. Speaking of bathing it actually felt like she was covered in something warm and soothing.

After a few minutes Lucy's eyes adjusted to the light, making her turn around to take in her surroundings.

"Where?" she wondered out loud "Huh?"

Lucy was hovering in the middle of a golden and possibly limitless space, filled with what looked like small glistening stars, that was flowing everywhere. Some of the stars looked like they were far away in the distance, while others were gently falling down like it was illuminated snow.

It was really beautiful and for some reason it made her feel calm.

Lucy took a deep breath and felt how all of her negative emotions seemed to vanish.

"Hello Lucy" a gentle female voice spoke from behind her, making her turn around effortlessly.

"Mavis?!" the blonde blinked feeling confused.

"Yes" she answered and chuckled brightly.

"But... why?" Lucy shook her head "I mean where are we?"

"Mmm..." the tiny girl hummed "... I wonder..."

"You don't know where we are?"

"I do... mmm..." Mavis placed an index finger on her lips and looked up, as if she thinking about something.

"Can you at least try to explain it to me?" Lucy encouraged the other mage.

"Well... you could say we're currently in another dimension, while simultaneously being back at the guild"

"Back at the guild?" the celestial mage blinked and tilted her head to the side.

"Yes"

"You're being really cryptic right now..." Lucy muttered to herself, before it hit her "... wait back at the guild... in the basement..."

"Uh-huh" Mavis nodded eagerly "Lumen Historie also known as Fairy Heart"

"No way..." she shook her head in disbelief.

"Yes..." the girl smiled warmly "... you're a clever girl Lucy. It runs in your family"

"Hehehe, thanks?" Lucy rubbed her neck sheepishly.

"We should get down to business, there isn't much time left"

"Okay?"

"As you may or may not know Lumen Historie is the ultimate weapon of light that conquers darkness. I want you to use it in the upcoming battle"

"But... how? I mean isn't it back at the guild?"

"Yes and no" Mavis pointed her finger at her "Right now we're inside the dimension that's hiding underneath the crystal's surface and that space is not restricted to a physical place"

"Ohh..." Lucy's mouth formed a circle "But why me?"

"Because you're a celestial mage, who deal with dimensions and summoning magic on a daily basis. That's why I have faith that you can summon some of the raw energy here with my help"

"That sounds amazing"

"Right?" Mavis chuckled warmly "Another reason I believe you can summon the power is because celestial mages have an affinity with the light. You might not have noticed this when you fought against Tartaros the last time, but when the Spirit King fought against Mard Geer he used a spell that originates from the light to erase all the darkness. That was how he managed to free all of your friends from that nasty spell that had trapped them "

"I see..." Lucy rubbed her chin in thought.

"So that's why I know you can use it for good. Not everyone can do that, since the power potentially to be used as the ultimate darkness. Jose saw it this way, because this light is essentially the same as the one magic we know as love. And love is a powerful magic that can lead to many things, both great and horrific"

"Because love can lead to hatred and pain" Lucy said in a low voice.

"Yes... " Mavis confirmed with a nod "... however I sense that you can control it, because the one you'll use it against is your friend. Or perhaps... he's more than that?" the girl chuckled warmly, making Lucy blush from head to toe.

"N-n-no! It's not like that!" the blonde stuttered feeling embarrassed all of a sudden.

"Obviously not" she laughed teasingly "Anyhow... let's get down to business"

"Yeah" Lucy nodded in determination.

"Close your eyes and focus. Concentrate on the light and the one magic, and you will sense it... when you enter the battlefield you have to use the same procedure and summon the energy, before it can be unleashed. It might take a while once you get out of here, so don't get disheartened by it. I have faith you can do it. Ohh, and remember this is raw energy so don't be too reckless when you use it, because that might have dire consequences"

"Okay, I will be careful" Lucy smiled genuinely towards Mavis "Thank you"

"You're welcome" the girl giggled "Now focus"

Lucy did what she was told and to her surprise, it was quite easy to spot the energy. After all it was like a radiating warm presence, that was constantly there.

Taking a deep breath she allowed the light to enter her body. It felt warm and pleasant, like there was a stream of hot liquid that was slowly filling her body.

It didn't take long before she had filled the magical container inside of her, making her take a deep breath before opening her eyes, but to Lucy's big surprise she wasn't in the weird space with Mavis anymore, but in a rather common looking room, laying flat on the floor.

"Lucy are you okay?!" Happy asked clearly in concern.

"Ye-yeah..." she rubbed her head and slowly sat up "I'm fine"

"I couldn't wake you..." the cat sulked "... you were like... unconscious or something"

"I'm sorry" Lucy gently patted his head and noticed the loud noises from the fighting that was still going on somewhere outside.

"I wanted to go out and check how everyone was doing, since this room doesn't have any windows. But... I didn't want to leave you here alone and defenceless"

"Thank you" Lucy's smile widened "My noble knight"

"Aye!" Happy grinned feeling a lot better about himself.

Lucy was momentarily lost in the moment, when she remembered something vital making her turn her head around anxiously.

"What's wrong?" Happy asked in concern.

"Where's Zeref?"

"I dunno" the cat shook his head "When I woke up, it was only you and me"

"Weird... anyhow I guess we should get going" the celestial mage sighed as she got into a standing position.

"But... what are we gonna do?" the cat asked.

"Don't worry I've got this" Lucy winked towards Happy "Besides if anything bad happens I know you've got my back!"

"Aye!" Happy confirmed and raised his paw.

And with that the duo left the room, going towards a battle they would do their best to finish.

* * *

 **A/N:** Okay I know this was a rather short battle, but honestly it took forever just to get this amount because it was sooooo hard typing it three/four people against one person. Like wow... wow...

And Erza's armor that contains pants with fire and a bandaged chest doesn't have a name for some reason. I checked but couldn't find it anywhere :(

And holy mother of... it looks like things are about to get serious in the manga for reals. So yeah some of the events in this story might not be so accurate when it's related to the manga version, but ohh well this is my interpretation of it and how it might go, so it's fine (I hope) ^^

I'm going on a holiday for a few days (I'm going to Gamescom!) so I wont be able to upload until the weekend or sometime during next week. I'll try my best to finish the next chapter before I leave, but if I can't make that, then this is it for now, so... I'm gonna go be a nerd with a bunch of other nerds! :D

Play nice and have a great time y'all!

/Hejmdal


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer:** Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima

* * *

 _ **ACT III: Crossroad - Where demons roam**_

 _ **Approximately X793**_

 **Chapter 12: Round 3, fight**

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

It was a horrible sight that awaited the celestial mage and the blue exceed.

On the ground Wendy and Carla was lying, panting with horrible wounds. Gray was staggering on his feet, trying his best to keep going on, but it was rather evident that he was exhausted. Erza was launching an attack against Natsu, but in a swift movement he dodged her, leaving her panting and trying her best to gather her composure again. But even the armoured mage was doing fairly unwell and was covered in wounds and blood. Sure the demon also had a few cuts and wounds, but it was nothing compared to the others.

The thing that surprised Lucy the most was the new appearance Natsu had taken. Not only physically but his aura seemed so much more lethal and wicked, making a shiver run down her spine.

Lucy couldn't control it, but seeing him like that frightened her. It was like her instincts tried to warn he, that this being was something so evil, that she should flee as quickly as possible and not look back. Her legs was shivering uncontrollably threatening to collapse, but she somewhat managed to keep her rationality and determination.

Her heart was hammering in her chest when she stomped out into the open.

"Stop this" her voice was steady and calm in spite of the feelings that was raging inside of her.

"Lucy..." Gray looked at her with a hint of hope flashing in his eyes.

Erza didn't turn to stare at her, but it was evident that she too was gaining more spirit by her presence.

"Lucy-san..." Wendy whispered, tears glistening in her eyes.

"... what?" Natsu froze in his position and eyed her up and down, his jaw dropping in shock.

Erza quickly jumped over to her, where she stood trying her best to stay firm despite of her condition "Did you find a solution Lucy?"

"You could say that" she answered.

"But... how?" Natsu asked in a bewildered tone and raised an eyebrow "How the freaking fuck are you alive?" he pointed a shaking claw in her direction.

"Does it matter?" Lucy forced herself to smile and to stare into the demon's eyes "I'm here now"

"Ye... yeah..." he sucked in his breath as the black colour in his eyes started to vanish. His pupils were still glistening red though as they kept staring at each other.

"I'll help you" the celestial mage took a shaking step towards the demon.

"Help me? But you..." his eyes glistened with sadness as he continued "... you're scared..."

"Yes..." Lucy confirmed his statement and took another step "... wouldn't you be?"

"Perhaps..." the demon sighed heavily his eyes locked on the approaching girl.

"I'll help you" Lucy said while taking a deep shaking breath, trying to search momentarily for the light within her, but for some reason she couldn't find it, because it was still dormant inside of her, waiting for her to pull it out somehow.

"You'll help me" Natsu snorted defiantly "As if..."

"I will" the celestial mage said trying her best to sound confident.

"Yeah... riiiight..." the demon's eyes shone with disbelief "... as if I'll trust something a mirage or whatever you are says"

"What...?" Lucy blinked in confusion.

"Like the fuck I'll trust an illusion that spawns at a bloody convenient time would say" Natsu growled.

"Lucy be careful!" Gray cautioned her.

"I know" she answered and a second later Natsu launched himself towards her, his hand raised behind him, prepared to strike her.

Still being in her Taurus stardress she hit the ground making a sudden wave of rocks appear, that functioned as a shield from the incoming attack, but it didn't hold for long as the demon collided with it and forced himself through.

Once she saw him emerging Lucy quickly used her whip and snapped it in his direction, where it wrapped around the demon's wrist.

"Ahhh!" shouting from the bottom of her lungs, the celestial mage started turning around in a circle on the spot, swinging the whip with her, thereby making Natsu fly around with a surprised look on his face. Eventually she snapped her wrist downwards, making her victim follow the movement before crashing with the ground.

"Nice one" Gray chuckled from beside her.

"Thanks!" she smiled brightly.

"What do you need us to do?" Erza asked but kept her eyes fixed on their opponent.

"I need to summon something" Lucy said rather cryptically.

"Alright" the armored woman nodded, before she raced towards Natsu who was running in their direction.

"Do your best" Gray nodded and followed Erza.

"Heck no I'm done playing with you guys!" Natsu growled as he smashed his shoulder into Erza, knocking the air out of her lungs. The scarlet haired woman was still against his body as he kept running until he crashed into the incoming ice mage, making both his victims smash into each other. Instantly after that the demon spun around on his heels and delivered a firm kick to Erza, making the two people fly across the field, from the force behind the kick.

"Erza! Gray!" Lucy shouted but she didn't get time to be worried, because the enemy was coming at her and fast.

"Stardress Sagittarius form" she pushed the key towards her chest and quickly found another key "Open gate of the Lion, Loki"

A second later said person had spawned and after quickly taking in his surroundings, understood that they were in a rather serious situation.

"Someone really had a makeover since I saw him the last time" Loki smirked before diving into the fight, fists clenched and fully ablaze.

"Yeah.." Lucy had a sad smile playing on her lips, as she started firing arrows in the former Dragon Slayers direction, whenever she was sure that she couldn't accidentally hit Loki.

Honestly she hated this down to her bones... the feeling didn't lessen when the other two mages joined the fight again. Wendy and Carla was staggering back on their feet too, obviously wanting to join as well.

 _Friends fighting each other..._

 _Feelings being twisted and turned..._

 _Love turning into hatred..._

Her eyes widened in realisation, making her freeze before shooting another arrow.

What was she doing? Fighting him wasn't the answer and she knew that. All she had to do was see through his demonic features and see him for what he truly was.

 _He was her friend... her best friend in the whole world..._

A warm but pleasant feeling spawned in her stomach as she recalled the memories they had shared together. As the images appeared in her mind, the feeling in her stomach started to pulsate inside of her, almost as if it was a living thing.

Then she understood... if she choose to see her former friend as an enemy then Lumen Historie could easily be turned into a dark weapon. Especially if it amplified the emotions she was feeling and erased the opposing feelings. Fortunately for her, recalling the memories they had shared together, shattered everything that was just remotely negative, even the fear she still felt rummaging inside of her.

Taking a deep breath Lucy didn't realise that her stardress and bow was suddenly starting to evaporate, as a faint glow spawned cross her skin, leaving her standing in her regular clothes

 _It was there, she could feel it. The warm and loving feeling so innocent and pure._

Once she found the hidden magic it immediately started streaming through her veins, all around her body like a warm liquid.

 _In all honesty it felt really amazing._

As it washed through her body Lucy suddenly felt really confident and secure. That wasn't all, because for some weird reason she also felt slightly light-headed and giddy. It was almost like she had the power to embrace everything no matter how horrible it might be.

With that Lucy started walking towards the fight and as she did they all stopped, transfixed by the approaching and glowing girl.

"What...?" Natsu asked in a bewildered tone when he saw the light that was surrounding the girl.

"It's okay" she smiled warmly at him and for some reason her allies knew that they had to move away from whatever was going to happen between the two of them.

"No..." the demon shook his head "... what are you doing?"

"I'm stopping this meaningless fight" Lucy answered and looked at the demon, with eyes that was suddenly glowing in a warm orange colour. All of her body started to glow and radiate more brightly, bathing everything in a soothing heat.

"No..." Natsu's body was shaking as he stood frozen in his position from fear.

"Lumen Historie, Fairy Heart" she whispered making the light surrounding her more vivid and wild.

Lucy started walking towards the demon and as she did, she left beautiful glistening footprints behind her, that started dissolving into tiny sparkles in the air.

"No... no, no, no, no, no!" the terror was evident in the demon's tone, but he still didn't move. It looked like he really wanted to though, but the sight of her somehow paralysed him.

 _Like an animal who was suddenly caught in the light..._

She didn't say anything but smiled warmly, at the demon who was staring back at her with huge frightened eyes. His body was starting to shiver more visibly and a few streaks of sweat was pouring down his forehead.

"No..." he gulped loudly "... don't come closer"

Lucy still didn't say anything, instead she widened her smile.

 _She honestly felt amazing! The power of the spell was filling her with so many warm and compassionate feelings._

 _The one magic... love..._

Still feeling light-headed and giddy, Lucy continued walking until she was close enough to place her hands on his shoulders.

"... no..." his voice was barely audible "... get the... the fuck away..."

A bright laughter escaped her lips, making the demon flinch as if the sound was somehow painful for him to hear.

"I'm sorry..." Lucy tilted her head slightly to the side "... but it ends here" and with that she gently pressed her lips against his, ignoring how the demon somehow managed to get some movement back into his body and moved his arms around her torso like he was about to give her an awkward hug. His arms was shaking violently but after some effort he managed to press his long claw like hands into her back, puncturing her skin.

Lucy almost didn't feel it for some reason. Sure it wasn't like she was completely numb but it was like a small prickle on her back, but nothing more. That was why she didn't flinch when Natsu in a quick movement, used the last of his strength to pull his arms downwards, leaving a huge and deep trail of scratch marks on her back, that started bleeding profoundly.

"Lucy!" Gray, Happy, Erza and Carla shouted at the same time.

She didn't register their call. The light was slowly consuming her senses, leaving a radiating warm feeling in her head. Lucy could feel some of it slowly vanishing though, because it was being transferred to the other person and as it did Natsu started to glow in a warm soothing light, that seemed to somehow evaporate the scales on his body. Even his horns and claws started to crumble into tiny pieces and started to vanish into the light.

After a few minutes there was nothing left of the demon. Only light and the two of them standing in the middle of it, still with their lips pressed firmly against each other.

Lucy slowly leaned her head backwards and smiled a toothy grin "Hey there, long time no see?"

"I..." he blinked looking thoroughly confused "... where am I?"

"You're back!" she laughed "Neat ain't it?"

"Uhm... yeah, I guess but back from where and..." he blinked a few times "... wait... did you just... kiss me?"

"Uh-huh! With my super sparkling mouth! Yup-yup!"

"Ohh kay? Uhm... why are you glowing like that?"

"Because that's how it is! Super perfecto neat and co-co-co-cool! That's who I am! Bada-bing, bada-boom"

"Huh?" he gave her a bewildered look "Did you hit your head or something?"

"Nope!" she shook her head and laughed again "I'm perfectly dandy and..."

Her eyes widened, as the light seemed to pulsate in a weird and really unpleasant way inside of her.

It was like it was trying to consume her all of a sudden.

"What's wrong?" Natsu asked in concern.

She didn't answer.

Her body was suddenly paralysed as the light seemed to dig into each cell and fibre of her being, burning through her system like a wildfire.

Blood suddenly started streaming out of her nose, but she didn't feel it. No, she didn't even register that tears was flowing down her cheeks.

Lucy didn't even see the horror in Natsu's eyes as he placed his hands on her shoulders.

He was shouting at her.

Calling her name.

 _But why couldn't she hear him?_

It was like everything was in a weird static and muffled tone.

Pain. _.._ pain like she had never felt before started ravaging in her head, like it was being stabbed multiple times with tiny blades, that tried slicing everything into pieces.

"... my head..." she managed to say as blood, started dripping out of her ears.

 _Please someone stop this... it hurts... my head..._

She heard Mavis gentle voice saying something and the next there was a flash of light blinding her momentarily, as reality was swept away.

* * *

 **A/N:** If you've seen Doctor Who then you might notice a resemblance to that series in this chapter :)

I don't know if Lucy can mix her dress and keys like that but I don't see why not, since she can summon her stardress without summoning the spirit – and honestly that be soooo hardcore and cool, because then she can function as DPS while the spirit is a tank and vice versa :)

And talk about leaving you on a cliffhanger huh? Mmm and where is Zeref I wonder… Bwahahah! See ya soon kittens *hugzz*


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer:** Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima

* * *

 _ **ACT III: Crossroad - Where demons roam**_

 _ **Approximately X793**_

 **Chapter 13: Fault**

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

The light was so bright, that it not only blinded the celestial mage, but actually hurt her physically. It was kinda weird and hard to describe how, but it was like the light was somehow burning and prickling her skin, like she was standing in the middle of a beam that shone with too much heat.

"Ugh" Lucy flinched and wrapped her arms around her stomach, trying her best to somehow withstand the intense pain. Especially her head seemed to pulsate and ache like someone was trying to crush her brain and turn it into mush.

"I'm sorry... It seems I was a little too late to call you back here" Mavis gentle voice called out but Lucy couldn't see the tiny mage, since the light was too radiant to see anything.

"Mavis...?" Lucy whispered in a low and fragile voice "... how?"

"I warned you though..." Mavis said in a more serious tone "... I told you that what you summoned was raw energy so you shouldn't be too reckless"

"I... I'm sorry..." the celestial mage managed to say.

"It's okay... you have a good friend out there, who's trying to repair the damages right now... she's a good healer and I'm sure she will heal the primary damages. However..."

"However?" Lucy asked and luckily for her she could feel that the pain was gradually starting to evaporate, leaving a weird but numb feeling in it's place.

"There might still be consequences... what those are I do not know yet. It could be good, it could be bad, but for now only time will tell..."

"Ohh..." Lucy whispered and felt slightly guilty, but also rather confused.

"It's almost time for you to wake up..." Mavis chuckled in a bright tone "... they are all worried about you..."

"Yeah..." Lucy smiled genuinely and felt how the realm she was currently in, slowly started to vanish all around her. As it did she could feel how her body started to ache in a different but rather uncomfortable way. Especially her back seemed to hurt, like the skin there had been cut open in multiple places. It was a rather nasty and unpleasant feeling, especially because she didn't recall receiving any wounds at first. However it didn't take long before she recalled a certain person who dug his sharp claws into her back.

 _Ahh... yeah... that happened_ , Lucy thought to herself, before she started hearing muffled voices around her...

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

"Lucy? Lucy!" Natsu roared in confusion and despair, as he saw the light evaporating from Lucy, before she started to fall.

"Shit!" he managed to catch Lucy's unconscious body and flinched momentarily, when he felt how the sudden movement made a lot of his own muscles ache painfully, but he didn't care nor did he pay any attention to his own body. Instead he focused his attention on the girl as he gently placed her on the ground, before turning his head to look anxiously at the figures that was by their side a second later.

Wendy didn't say anything but immediately started healing the blonde.

"You can't!" Carla yelled in outrage "You've used too much magic already!"

"It's okay" the healer nodded "I can't heal her 100% I know, but I can take care of the wounds in her brain"

"Damn..." Gray muttered as he sat down next to them "... so uhm... how are you feeling?" he asked while glaring intensely at the Dragon Slayer.

"Me?" Natsu blinked before pointing at himself "I'm fine I guess... kinda sore for some reason, but it ain't that bad" his eyes widened in shock when he saw the wounds covering the ice mage "What happened to you?"

"We'll explain it later, for now rest assured that we've dealt with the situation" Erza nodded stoically but smiled warmly, clearly happy that they had their friend back.

"Okay?" Natsu blinked in surprise when he noticed that Erza also was covered in several wounds "But what exactly..."

"Natsuuuu!" Happy had launched himself and a second later he was firmly face hugging the Dragon Slayer while crying profoundly.

Surprised by Happy's reaction Natsu gently grabbed the cat's neck and removed him from his face.

"Waaaah!" the cat cried loudly.

"What's up with you?" Natsu raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"I missed you!" Happy sniffled and removed some tears with his paws.

"I missed you too buddy" he smiled a toothy grin and hugged the cat against his chest.

The Dragon Slayer turned his head and glared at the celestial mage and for some reason there was something about her state, that made him feel horrible and slightly on edge. Actually it was almost like he had experienced something like this before...

 _Like... that time..._

The air got caught in his throat and he felt his jaw drop, as he remembered the last moment before he had lost his consciousness. To him it felt like it only happened a few moments ago and back then she had been completely silent almost as if...

Natsu's eyes widened in horror as he placed his hand above his mouth.

 _So cold... her skin had been so cold against his warm skin._

He kept glaring at her unmoving body and felt an uncomfortable shiver run down his spine.

 _Lucy... was and had been everything... but she was gone... gone forever..._

His body was shaking uncontrollably as he stopped hugging the cat.

"Natsu what's wrong?" Happy asked but didn't receive an answer.

"No it can't be..." the Dragon Slayer whispered in a low inaudible voice.

He had to make sure, but then again... he was afraid to act for some reason.

 _Please... ohh god, please no..._

His hand was shivering when he placed it on Lucy's neck, trying to feel her pulse. When he felt it beating underneath his fingertips he let out a shaking breath and sat down, almost as if his body suddenly weighed a million ton.

"Ohh thank god!" a moan escaped his lips as he placed both hands on his face. Leaving them there for a second, before wiping them slowly down his skin "Haaah..."

"What's wrong?" Erza asked in concern.

"Nothing..." Natsu sighed, his shoulders dropping visibly "... just... remembered something is all"

"Ohh" the armoured woman knew right away what he was referring to.

"Pheeew!" Wendy stopped healing and leaned backwards clearly exhausted "That's all I can do for now. I'm sorry"

"Don't say sorry! You did more than enough!" Carla huffed.

"Nnnhh..." Lucy moaned loudly and immediately earned everyone's attention "... where?"

"Lucy-san!" Wendy said in her cheerful voice "how are you feeling?"

"Mm... kay... dizzy... headache... and tired" staggering the blonde got into a sitting position, where she scanned the area to look for Loki but evidently he had vanished when she had lost her consciousness.

"That's awesome!" Natsu said enthusiastically as he scooted closer to her.

"Ye-yeah... guess so" Lucy blushed and for some reason avoided looking in his direction, as she quickly used her hands to wipe the blood away that had been streaming out of her ears and nose.

"Aww come on don't be like that" the Dragon Slayer grinned towards her "You're alive aren't you?"

"Uh-huh" the celestial mage bit her lip and lowered her head, almost as if she was ashamed of something.

"Don't be like that" Natsu chuckled warmly "Now cheer up will ya?"

Wanting to encourage the other mage, the Dragon Slayer raised his arm and a second later slammed his hand against her back.

"Argh!" Lucy screamed in pain as his hand hit her, making her back arch backwards for a few seconds, before she started panting to regain her composure.

"What...?" Natsu blinked, feeling utterly perplexed about her reaction _._

"You fucking idiot!" Gray snarled in anger.

"What?!" the Dragon Slayer snapped his head in the ice mage's direction.

"She's wounded on her back!" Gray roared.

"WHAT?!" Natsu quickly crawled behind the blonde and flinched in regret, when he saw the wounds.

 _Holy shit!_ He cursed inside and felt a rush of guilt as he glared at the deep and nasty looking scratch marks...

As he kept glaring at the wounds an uncontrollable anger started to burn inside of him, making him clench his teeth firmly against each other.

 _Whoever did this would fucking pay!_

"I'm sorry Luce" Natsu muttered in a cold voice.

"It's okay..." the blonde giggled nervously ".. you didn't know"

"Who..." his eyes narrowed in anger.

"What?" the celestial mage turned around slowly so she could face him.

"Who did that?" his tone was suddenly dripping with malice, making the girl flinch for some reason.

"Ahhh!" Lucy waved a hand dismissively in front of her "It's no big deal, really!"

"WHO?!" his eyes glistened with pure hatred and for a split second it looked like they flashed red as he used a clenched fist to hit the ground "Tell me!"

"It... it doesn't matter really! Because he's already been taken care of!" Lucy said sounding really insecure and nervous.

"Yes" Erza stated knowing what Lucy was trying to do "He's gone"

"Fine!" Natsu turned his head to look in another direction "Good!"

Ohh, but his fingers itched to be the one who could harm whoever was the culprit...

A growl formed in his throat as he looked down at his hands.

 _Wait… what?_

He turned his hands a few times and was utterly surprised that they were drenched in blood.

Why didn't he smell that when he covered his face earlier or when he tried searching for her pulse? Was it because there was so much blood all around him? Had he been so overwhelmed by his emotions, that he managed to ignore it? Now that he thought about it, he had also failed to notice just how much his own body ached since it was covered in multiple wounds...

Natsu honestly didn't know how he could ignore all of that...

"What... the...?" he muttered in a low voice and raised his hands closer to his face, staring at them like they were suddenly alien to him. The Dragon Slayer was looking so intensely at his hands that he almost didn't see that the markings on his arm was glowing very faintly in the same golden colour that had surrounded Lucy.

 _Wait a second..._

His markings acting up, memory loss, the others being heavily wounded including himself, the enemy gone yet his victims remained...

"Natsu..." Lucy whispered in concern.

The Dragon slayer ignored her as he closed his hands and looked at his fingernails.

There was definitely blood underneath them, but there was also some fabric. Of course the blood made the colour of the cloth less distinct, but it was fairly easy for him to see, that it was blue.

 _No..._

His eyes darted over to the celestial mage who was shivering uncontrollably, from withheld sorrow and pain.

"No..." Natsu looked at his hands again, that started to shake violently as the realisation hit him so hard that it felt like a train had suddenly collided with him, making his stomach clench painfully. "No way..." he shook his head in denial.

"Natsu..." Lucy tried to appeal to him, but he still didn't respond to her.

 _He... clearly it was him who did that to her... no to them..._

".. no..." he breathed heavily through his mouth as fear and guilt started to overwhelm him, making a thin layer of cold sweat spawn in tiny droplets, before trailing down his body.

 _Their blood was on his hands... And on his face after being a fucktard and wiping it with them._

 _He hurt her... he physically hurt her..._

 _Fuck!_

The smell was suddenly very dominant making him feel like vomiting.

 _Why... ohh god why?_

He felt utterly horrible, but weirdly enough also angry... like the energy inside of him was rummaging through his veins, making him feel really weird. But it also felt like all of his feelings was so unbearable and cruel, that it threatened to erase his existence. It was just too much for him, especially because the last thing he ever wanted to be guilty of, was hurting his friends...

"It can't be..." Natsu managed to mutter and felt how his heart started to pump more fiercely in his chest. Simultaneously with that his breathing was becoming more irregular almost as if he was on the brink of having a panic attack.

"SHIT!" closing his eyes he clutched his head with both hands "FUCK!"

Natsu started shaking his head furiously almost as if he was trying to deny the truth.

"Please listen..." Lucy tried again, but he still didn't hear her.

 _He hurt her... one of his best friends that he would do anything to protect... he hurt his team, his precious friends..._

 _Why?_

 _WHY?!_

A painful scream escaped his lips, before he started slamming his head against the ground.

Honestly he had no idea why he did that, maybe it was to do something about the chaos in his mind. It didn't really matter why, but once he started he couldn't stop...

 _You fucking retarded idiot!_

 _Failure... a pathetic loser!_

"Please stop..." the celestial mage said in her gentle voice before placing her hands on his shoulders.

"I..." moaning Natsu did what he was told and stopped his actions, before resting his forehead against the ground, where a small puddle of blood was gathering, from the newly acquired wound on his head.

"It wasn't your fault" Lucy massaged his shoulders with her thumbs "So please..."

"Tsch!" he snorted as tears freely streamed down his face, making it tickle as it ran down his nose, before dripping down on the ground.

His body was visibly shivering and shaking from the overwhelming sorrow and guilt he felt.

"I'm sorry..." his voice was low and hoarse "... I'm so sorry"

"You don't have to apologize" the celestial mage said.

"I..." he started but gritted his teeth firmly against each other.

 _Yeah he did... how could he ever look her in the eyes without feeling horrible?_

Very slowly he removed his hands from his head, and placed them on the ground, so he could use them as support to raise his upper body.

"I can't..." he took a shaking breath and took a moment to look up at Lucy, who was smiling at him in encouragement.

Why didn't she resent him? How could she give him such a pure look of affection?

 _You know what, screw it!_

 _I don't care, I'll take it!_

Natsu reached out and grabbed her shoulders, before pushing his head forcefully against her chest.

This would be a dream position for any guy, but he didn't care about something as meaningless as perverted thoughts.

Nope, he was too busy trying to seek comfort in her presence as he tried his best to forget the horrible truth and focus on her scent. That way he could somehow try to pretend that he couldn't smell his friends blood everywhere...

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

Lucy didn't know how long she sat comforting Natsu, but it wasn't as long as some might think, since he was clearly distraught and in agony about the situation.

Well maybe it was because the Dragon Slayer knew, it would be for the best to get a hold of himself, so they could get going, especially since the rest of the team was horribly wounded and needed medical attention, or perhaps it was because he was fast in coming to terms with the things he had done, more so than she or either of them thought was humanly possible.

 _No... he couldn't have... that would be way too fast..._

She kept glaring at Natsu in concern as he removed himself from her and took a few deep shaking breaths, his face holding a mixture of emotions as he tried to suppress the events inside of himself.

"I know this might sound sudden, but we should get going" Gray stated and got into a standing position.

"Yes" Erza nodded in agreement.

"Okay I..." Lucy tried to get up, but it was a futile effort, because for some reason the muscles in her legs felt like jelly. Besides that it really, reeeally hurt in the wounds on her back, whenever she tried moving too much "... ohh"

"Lucy" Gray said as he eyed her up and down "You okay?"

"It's..." she chuckled feeling rather embarrassed "... for some reason I can't move my legs..."

"Ahh" the ice mage nodded to himself "Very well then I'll carry you..."

"No..." Natsu said in a low tone, but kept staring at the ground clearly avoiding looking in the other's direction.

"Why not?" Gray crocked his eyebrow in surprise.

"You're kinda wounded aren't ya?" the fire mage let out a loud sigh "And from the looks of it I'm in the best condition, so it would be stupid if it weren't me who carried her"

"I see" the ice mage said "Very well I'll leave that task to you then"

"Natsu..." Lucy whispered in concern "... you sure?"

"Yeah..." he answered, still not looking in her direction ".. yeah... it's fine"

"Okay" she nodded briefly as she watched the Dragon Slayer knell down in front of her, with his back turned towards her.

"Th-thanks" Lucy stuttered and somehow she managed to get on his back, despite of her muscles feeling incredibly weak. Once there he grabbed her legs with his arms and leaned slightly forwards, to make sure she didn't fall down from her position.

"You comfy back there?" Natsu asked in a serious tone, but in contrast to that a small blush was suddenly spawning on his cheeks.

"Ye-yeah" she rested her chin against his back, feeling utterly exhausted "I'm good"

"Neat" the Dragon Slayer said, with a small and rather sad smile playing on his lips.

And with that the small group found themselves travelling towards their next destination: home!

* * *

 **A/N:** Let's take a moment to discuss a thing that is evidently a thing in FT: when a character needs comfort they tend to rub their heads in a woman's cleavage. Even Happy does it, so maybe it's a quirk shared between the male characters O.o

For those wondering about Lucy acting weird in the last chapter: She was consumed by Lumen Historie and gradually the warm feeling from the unrestricted raw power (similar to the one magic love), overwhelmed her and started to consume her rationality. That was why it suddenly backfired on her, because the magic was too potent and wild for her small untrained body to comprehend.

That's it for now! Hope you liked it and look forward to seeing what the heck Zeref is up to :D

Ohh and Frozem1 (guest): Thanks again for your reviews :) I would answer you more often if I could send you a PM, but unfortunately I can't do that.


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer:** Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima

* * *

 _ **ACT III: Crossroad - Where demons roam**_

 _ **Approximately X793**_

 **Chapter 14: Tell me why**

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

Zeref smiled and felt... well rather satisfied for the first time in a long time.

Currently he was sitting on a rock and looking at the small group of mages who was licking their wounds after dealing with the demon known as END. Or well technically the majority of them was casually resting, while his dear brother was pressing his head against Lucy's bosom, like it was a pair of comforting pillows.

 _Ohh dear... if Natsu knew he did the same trick to the girl's mother a long time ago... silly pervert..._

Zeref chuckled sadly to himself feeling somewhat jealous of the things his brother could have, that was impossible for himself to obtain. Sure he had longed for it, but it was a wish that would never be fulfilled. Just like his feelings for Layla was a waste and he had known that from the start. But still, he couldn't deny or erase his own emotions even if he tried.

So even though it was something he had grown to know would never be a factor in his life, Zeref somehow managed to get a good amount of knowledge about how to treat women. He didn't know why he knew that, maybe it was something he learned when he was with Layla. Not that it mattered where he got this insight, but he knew for a fact that the thing Natsu was doing right now, was almost the definition of the wrong approach.

"Stupid brother..." the dark mage sighed heavily when he noticed a presence approaching him "... I was wondering when you would show up"

"Yes..." Mavis gentle voice said as she casually walked over and placed herself beside the dark mage.

"This is your doing isn't it?" Zeref turned his head to look at the blonde girl "Lumen Historie"

"Yes" she smiled brightly towards him "Fairy Heart"

"I see" Zeref said with a hint of anger as he turned his head to look at Lucy "But at what cost?"

"I don't know..." Mavis said truthfully and closed her eyes "... it's too early to say what consequences it might have, but at least it isn't fatal"

"Hopefully not..." Zeref looked mildly annoyed as he glared at Mavis "... her place in all of this is far from over and if you somehow messed it up..."

"I didn't..." she nodded and rocked back and forth on her heals "... and you knew I wouldn't, or else you wouldn't have brought her to that room, like I requested you to do"

"We used to be friends, so I do have some small faith in your judgement. Besides she is from your guild, so I knew hurting her wasn't an option for you"

"Exactly..." Mavis turned her head to glare at the blonde girl, who was still comforting the Dragon Slayer "... so what is your opinion about humanity now?"

"Well as you know..." Zeref smiled sadly "... a long time ago I made a bet with the King of fire dragons to see if him raising Natsu could somehow change the future. At that time I wanted to know if his high hopes in humanity was justified"

"Have you reached a new conclusion to that answer then?"

"No... I mean if Lucy died here, then what was to stop my brother in seeing her death as his fault, since it would essentially be due to her efforts in restraining the demon, that she died. And if that happened what would prevent him from starting his own cycle of hatred and revenge?"

"Don't you have faith in him?" Mavis asked feeling curious.

"Perhaps... perhaps I do..." Zeref groaned and massaged his temple as if he was having a sudden headache "... however..."

"However...?"

"I wont forgive the dragons" his eyes glistened with unrestricted hatred "After all it was their fault she died"

Mavis didn't say anything to that, but kept glaring at the members of her guild.

"That's why I need the dragon's represented in the final encounter... I want them to take responsibility somehow for what happened" the dark mage chuckled sounding somewhat insane.

"I understand why you feel that way..." Mavis sighed heavily "... but isn't that path guided by your desire for revenge, which would essentially be the same thing you resent in humanity?"

"You're right..." Zeref looked at his hands "... I have been contaminated with the same feelings, that motivates people into going in the wrong direction"

"Is that why you wanted Lumen Historie?"

"Yes... I wanted to see for myself how it can be used for both good and bad things" Zeref looked at the other mage again "Since I contain both hatred but also love inside of me, I wanted to know how I would control it"

"I see..." Mavis poked to a rock with her toe "... so you still hold feelings for her?"

"I guess that might be the correct interpretation of it..."

"Is that why you put Lucy in suspended animation, instead of killing her?"

"She looks just like her" the dark mage narrowed his eyes in sorrow "Besides she's Layla's legacy to the world and I couldn't destroy that"

Mavis sighed loudly "But instead you made her the key to the conflict. That was very generous of you"

"Yeah.. there's something rather poetic and absurd in that. She provoked him to spawn but she was also the reason he withdrew" Zeref closed his eyes for a second.

"You didn't plan for that to happen" Mavis stated the fact.

"No... I had some faith in the Spriggan and that they could somehow be the trigger, but evidently that wasn't enough"

"I see..." Mavis turned her head and spotted the pile of unconscious demons.

"Don't worry about them" the dark mage said when he noticed where she was looking "Their respawning site Hell's Core is no more, so it shouldn't take long before they vanish from existence"

"That's just wrong..." the tiny mage said sounding rather sad.

"It's too late to do something, look" he pointed towards the demons "They are already starting to glow signifying that it's their time"

None of them said anything for a while as they just sat there staring at the scenario in front of them.

"So..." Mavis started "... what now?"

"It's almost time for the last and final phase" Zeref said as he got into a standing position "The fight between the three fractions"

Mavis turned around and walked over, so she could stand in front of her opponent.

"Zeref... I know I've said this before, but rest assured that we will stop you"

"You'll stop me?" the dark mage smiled wickedly "No you stand no chance of stopping us"

"What...?" Mavis eyes widened in shock.

"I will say no more of this matter. For now we must part ways until the time is right"

"Yes..."

Their eyes briefly locked with each other, before the two mages left the scene going in opposite directions. None of them knew what the future might hold, but hopefully it would be a happy one. Especially for humanity...

* * *

 **A/N:** This is the last chapter in this act/arc. The new one will start in the next chapter and will be called Psychological Wounds. I already typed a lot, so it shouldn't take long for me to update once I get into the editing process :)

And before I leave to go out in the sun, I would like to apologize the minor wait in updating. I just really... really wanted to start typing the next chapter, so I did that before I even started with this one XD


	15. Chapter 15

**Warning:** Fanservice *giggles*

 **Disclaimer:** Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima

* * *

 _ **ACT IV: Aftermath – Psychological Wounds**_

 _ **Approximately X793**_

 **Chapter 15: Face the truth**

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

Natsu let out a heavy sigh when they entered the city of Magnolia and casually walked down the streets that let towards the guild. Honestly he didn't really care or mind about the curious looks the citizens gave them, since he knew they looked battered and fatigued from their fight. So yeah it was reasonable why they would look at them, like they would become the new topic for gossiping. Which they probably would be, but who cared?

No, the thing bothering the Dragon Slayer was the prospect of his guild mates reactions, when they told them about what happened. Usually something like that wouldn't bother him, but since he was the one who had wounded his friend's, it made him feel rather uncomfortable.

 _Like how would they react when they saw the deep scratch marks on Lucy's back, that he made with his own blood covered hands?_

Speaking of the blonde, she was currently snoring peacefully on his back, because the events that had transpired earlier, had left her utterly exhausted. Which was understandable she had gone through more than enough. Of course he didn't know the specifics about the spell she had used, but it was rather evident that it had harmed her body. It was weird really because it didn't feel harmful to him, but more like it was a warm and welcoming heat that had overwhelmed him as he regained his consciousness. Actually he could still feel the affects of the spell lingering inside of him, like it was a tiny yet hot flame warming his spirit. He couldn't explain what it was, but it was a neat and kinda comforting feeling.

Speaking about things he didn't understand, then there was a lot of things about the whole situation that needed an explanation. For instance he wanted to know what happened when he wasn't himself. Or well... it wasn't like Natsu was looking forward to hearing that, but he had to know in order to prevent it from happening later on. Besides that he really wanted to know how on earth it all ended up in Lucy kissing him. Not that it bothered him or anything, he was just curious why she did it and why it worked. Because surely it wasn't like it affected him whatsoever... nope! He didn't care about the fact that she had pressed his lips against his, in what could be perceived as something that wasn't innocent under any other circumstances...

 _And suuuurely he never ever wanted to do that again... No, he would neeeever give his consent to such an act._

A rather indecent image entered his mind, making him blush and more aware of the weight and warmth of Lucy's body against his back.

"Natsu are you okay?" Happy asked in concern when he noticed the Dragon Slayer's red cheeks.

"Ye-yeah... fine" he smirked towards the cat, feeling somewhat guilty about his previous trail of thoughts.

"You sure?"

"Uh-huh..." he unconsciously but gently hoisted the celestial mage further up his back. The movement however didn't go by unnoticed by the cat.

"Mmm..." Happy grumbled and rubbed his chin evidently deep in thought "... hmm!"

"What is it buddy?" Natsu asked.

"Well... I think I get it now..."

"Get what?" he crocked an eyebrow feeling somewhat curious.

Happy snickered teasingly with a hint of mockery glistening in his eyes "Why you're blushing"

"No way!" Natsu's eyes widened.

"Yeeees way"

"Nuh-uh..." he gulped loudly, not liking where this was going all of a sudden.

"You were thinking naughty thoughts weren't you" the cat chuckled deviously.

"Naw aw!" the Dragon Slayer shook his head frantically in denial.

"Yeah you did..." Happy's eyes flashed with amusement "... I also know who you were thinking about"

"Tsch!" Natsu spat ignoring that his blush suddenly increased "See if I care, it's not like you've got proof or anything. Hmf!" he feigned to be insulted and stomped away from the laughing cat.

Suddenly facing the guild didn't feel so bad... well that was until they actually reached the place, where they were greeted with a wall of loud voices and cheers.

"You... insolent... and foolish brats!" Makarov's voice boomed loudly making whoever was going to greet the team freeze in their positions.

"Master..." Erza bowed her head in shame.

"How DARE you go against MY orders!" the tiny man raised his hand, clearly wanting to punish the team, but stopped when he saw the state they were in.

Unaffected by the commotion, Gajeel strolled up to them looking pretty angry.

"Gajeel..." Natsu started before he felt the iron Dragon Slayer's fist colliding with his head "ARGH!"

"That's for being an idiot and worrying everyone" Gajeel snorted in annoyance.

"What the heck?!" he spat back ready to make a comeback answer, but stopped when he felt Lucy stirring on his back.

"What..." she muttered in a low voice "... what's happening?"

"LUUU-CHAN!" Levy yelled as she launched herself towards them.

"Levy?" Lucy turned her head to look in her direction.

"I'm so glad you're..." the other mage stopped, her eyes widening in what looked like horror "... ohh my gosh what happened to your back?"

"Ohh... it's nothing really" the celestial mage chuckled in a sad tone, making Natsu flinch from the guilt that was suddenly rushing through him like an unpleasant wildfire.

"It's not nothing..." Levy trembled from sorrow, before shaking her head in determination "... I'm gonna go fetch Porlyusica, you all look like you could need medical treatment"

And with that said she sprinted out of the guild, closely followed by Gajeel who muttered something about making sure the old woman didn't harm the tiny mage.

Of course Natsu knew that they needed healing, but hearing Levy saying it out loud still made him feel utterly horrible inside.

"What happened" the serious tone of a male man said as he approached them from behind.

"Gildarts, you're back" Erza stated when she turned her head to identify the man.

"Yes..." the older mage glared momentarily at the wounds on Lucy's back before locking his eyes with Natsu's.

"Gildarts..." the Dragon Slayer whispered, a shiver running down his spine because there was something about the serious and almost angry look in the other mage's eyes that was... well absolutely terrifying to be honest.

"I know..." there was something ominous in Gildarts voice, as he turned to once more look at the wounds on the celestial mage.

"You... you do?" Natsu gulped in fright, his mouth suddenly feeling very dry.

"Yes... I'm sorry Lucy but will you excuse us for a second" Gildarts said still looking at her back.

"Uhm... uh sure..." the celestial mage blinked uncertain how to say she couldn't move her legs.

"I've got you" Gray quickly said before grabbing her underneath her armpits and carrying her away, with a look of surprise on her face and a blue haired girl frantically following them.

"Mmm..." Natsu grumbled and sounded mildly annoyed as he watched them walk away.

"I see..." Gildarts muttered to himself when he saw the look on the Dragon Slayer's face "... this is more serious than I thought"

Not saying anything else the older mage grabbed Natsu's shirt and started dragging him out of the guild.

"Wait?!" the terror was evident in the Dragon Slayer's eyes as he somewhat tried resisting being kidnapped by the other mage.

"See you guys later..." Gildarts waved with his hand dismissively, ignoring Natsu's protests.

"Wait... no... you can't do this! Please!" he snapped his head in Erza's direction, but she just smiled clearly indicating that he wouldn't receive her help.

"... damn..." the Dragon Slayer muttered in defeat, as he reluctantly felt himself being guided towards Gildarts house.

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

It didn't take long before they reached their destination, where the fuming Dragon slayer finally was released.

"What gives?" Natsu quickly turned around on his heels, when he felt the hand finally letting go of his shirt.

"You know what gives" Gildarts stated sounding mildly annoyed as he crossed his arms above his stomach "As I told you before I know"

"But... how?" he asked in outrage.

"I figured out the basics when I was travelling, so when I got back here I approached the master who unfortunately confirmed my theory"

"I... ohh..." he mouthed in surprise and unconsciously started scratching the markings on his arm.

"Uh-huh..." Gildarts nodded to himself "... Etherious Natsu Dragneel"

"What? No..." his eyes narrowed in sadness but also anger from the sudden accusation "... I'm not..."

"Yes you are... or do you prefer it if I just call you END?" the older mage narrowed his eyes as he eyed the Dragon Slayer up and down.

"Don't call me that!" Natsu spat in anger, clenching his fists so hard, his nails dug into the meat of his hands "It's just a coincidence that END could stand for my name, it has nothing to with me!"

Unaffected by his fury Gildarts continued "It has everything to do with you. The fact that you have those markings is a clear evidence about your demonic side"

"It's not like that!" Natsu shook his head refusing to accept what Gildarts was saying.

"Let me ask you this then..." he pointed a finger in his direction "... who are you?"

"Myself who else?!"

"You sure about that? How do I know you won't revert into your demonic side and try to kill me right here and now?"

"Because I'm not him or that or whatever!" he growled in anger sending saliva flying.

"Yes you are and the fact that your markings are still on your skin clearly proves it"

"No it doesn't!"

"It does" Gildarts said sounding rather confident and cocky "But I'm curious what you want me to call the person who left those horrible wounds on Erza, Gray, Carla and Wendy..."

"..."

"What do I call the person who brutally ripped the skin on Lucy's back? END or just Natsu?"

"Shut UP!" his eyes glistened red with unrestricted anger for a second, but it quickly vanished as he took a few deep breaths to calm himself.

"I'm sorry for pushing you like that..." Gildarts said his tone suddenly switching into sounding really concerned.

"What?" baffled the Dragon Slayer watched as the older mage started rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"I had to make sure... to see it for myself"

"See what?"

"This..." Gildarts grabbed Natsu's right arm with his free hand, making the mage look in it's direction.

"What...?" feeling confused the Dragon Slayer watched his markings, that was suddenly glowing ever so faintly.

"It would seem the trigger is anger, which I also suspect is the fuel that drives your curse"

Not sure what to say to that, Natsu just glared at his arm feeling rather confused.

"Listen, I know it must be hard to accept the truth, but you have to face it no matter how hard it must be to deal with"

Still not knowing what to say the Dragon Slayer kept staring at his arm.

"You need to accept and come to terms with the fact that you're END"

"I'm not!" snarling he pulled his arm away and out of the other mage's grasp.

"I know this is hard to accept, but you are..."

"No, I can't be!" he pointed an accusing finger at Gildarts "I mean Igneel fought against him ages ago and I don't remember doing that"

"Even though I don't know the specifics, I'm quite certain that you can't remember anything from the time you were the demon. In fact if I'm correct, then that would explain why you don't recall fighting against your own team"

"I..." Natsu's eyes widened in surprise "... I don't... how did you...?"

"Know?" he chuckled sadly "It's rather obvious that you can't recall anything about your demonic side, unless you've improved a lot in lying all of a sudden. I mean you've never been the best when it comes to hiding stuff so if you knew about it, I'm sure you would have told me at some point"

"I guess..."

"With that said..." Gildarts said in a serious tone "... you still need to accept the fact that you're him"

"No..." Natsu leaned his head forwards shadowing his face with his hair.

"Yes you do"

"..."

The older mage exhaled in frustration "I know you don't want to, but you have to face the truth. That might be the solution, if you don't want to accidentally summon him again"

"It's a lie..." he whispered in a low voice.

"What?"

"It's a god damn lie!" the Dragon Slayer growled in fury as he snapped his head up, in order to glare at Gildarts.

"Natsu..."

"No! I won't believe it!" he clenched his teeth firmly against each other, before turning around on his feet and stomping towards the door.

"Don't be so full of yourself" Gildarts said trying to sound calm and collected "Are you really so selfish and stubborn that you won't acknowledge your actions? For god's sake, your hands are still drenched with your friend's blood"

"Shut the hell up! I'll do and believe in whatever I want" his hand found the door handle, which he used to forcefully open the door.

The other mage didn't prevent him from leaving, so it was with loud and furious stomps the Dragon Slayer made his way into the nearby forest.

"Tsch... as if I would believe something so stupid..." Natsu grumbled in annoyance as he kept walking until he found himself by a rather huge lake. It was actually a pretty sight, especially because the blue sky made the water look almost inviting and warm.

Still feeling thoroughly pissed he glared down at his own reflection in the water.

How could Gildarts claim something so outrages without solid proof? Well sure he had the markings and it was true he didn't remember what he did, but that didn't automatically mean he was END.

 _Hell no!_

Deep in denial he felt how his anger seemed to intensify making his muscles prickle, from the energy that was suddenly ravaging through his system.

His pupils started to glow in a red and lethal colour as he kept glaring at his reflection and for some reason the sight made him laugh hysterically, almost as if he had gone momentarily insane. Actually it felt like he had lost at least some part of his sanity, as he sat down on the ground, still laughing like he was having the best time ever.

His mind was filled with chaotic thoughts, but for some reason it felt good giving into his mental breakdown, or whatever it was he was having.

"Madness helps to suppress the anger" he said in a low voice, surprising himself because he didn't know where the words came from. It was like it spawned from somewhere deep within himself from a place he didn't know or wanted to acknowledge.

 _His eyes... they had shone in a red colour..._

Anxiously he leaned above the water again to glare at himself, but there was no sign of the red colour. Nope his pupils were back to being onyx coloured.

 _But why?_ He narrowed his eyes in thought.

Why was he denying the things Gildarts said to him? It wasn't like it was a silly or stupid idea, because if he was END then it actually made sense in so many aspects.

The sound of someone cackling and laughing in a weird yet obscure way in his mind, made him flinch in horror.

 _No..._

Breathing through his mouth, he felt how a thin layer of cold sweat spawned and trailed down his skin, as he kept listening to the laughter that seemed to intensify in volume.

 _Claw like hands... blood everywhere..._

A few unpleasant mental images spawned in his mind of him fighting his friends, making him shake his head in frustration.

"...no..."

The images in his mind vanished just as suddenly as they came, leaving him panting and feeling a mixture of emotions. Anger, regret, denial, sorrow...

Deep inside he knew the truth about what he had just experienced, it was just so darn hard coming to terms with it...

 _A flashback... from when he was him... the demon known as END. From when his hands had looked more like claws than anything remotely human._

"No..." he whispered and raised his shaking hands closer to his face. Even though they didn't look like claws, they were still drenched in blood.

"Darn it!" cursing he threw his hands into the lake and started to wash them rather violently, making his skin ache from his effort, especially because he continued rubbing his hands even when the blood was long gone from his skin.

"Not enough..." his eyes widened with a hint of madness glistening in them "... no not enough"

With that said he quickly stripped out of his clothes, before plunging himself into the water making it splash loudly when his naked body hit it.

The cold water made him shiver at first, but it didn't take long for his body to get used to the temperature making him feel rather comfortable, as he once again started rubbing his skin. This time however he didn't just wash his hands but also the other places of his body, where blood had stained him with it's awful crimson colour.

"Ugh..." Natsu flinched in pain but also surprise, when he washed himself and felt just how much of a beating he had taken. Especially the thigh on his left leg and his right shoulder felt really sore, which shouldn't surprise him since there were deep wounds in both places, that started bleeding profoundly when he removed the dried blood, which of course resulted in him being covered yet again with blood. This time however it was his own, but it was still really annoying...

"That... is... it!" taking a deep breath Natsu dived underneath the surface where he swam around for a bit until his lungs started to burn, indicating that he needed oxygen soon. He ignored it though and kept swimming, because for some reason it felt freakishly good being underwater. Maybe it was because it was like the water somehow drowned his thoughts, or perhaps it was the sound of waves that made him feel like he was in some weird but nice form of isolation. He didn't know what it was, but it was rather soothing.

Or well it was until black spots started to form in his vision and the pain in his lungs suddenly reached a level where it was almost unbearable. In that split second he instinctively felt an urge to take a huge breath of what would be water, but fortunately he managed to break his head through the surface before that happened.

"Gaaaah!" he exclaimed before he started breathing hungrily through his mouth, feeling slightly light headed and dizzy as the fresh air entered his body.

"You know if you really want to drown yourself, I don't mind lending you a hand"

The Dragon Slayer was too busy heaving for air to answer, so instead he turned his head to glare back at the ice mage who was carrying Lucy on his back, while Juvia was doing a rather poor job of spying on them from the bushes.

"Don't say that Gray" Lucy pouted in an insulted tone.

"Yeah, yeah I'm just kidding" the ice mage sighed loudly "You know that"

"Of course I know that, but that doesn't mean I like hearing it" she snorted in defiance.

"What...?" Natsu felt rather perplexed as he peeked through the wet hair that was falling down his face "... are you guys doing here?"

"Well... Porlyusica finished healing us, so we wanted to make sure... uhm..." Lucy bit her lip momentarily before continuing "... we wanted to see how you're doing"

"Uh-huh..." Natsu narrowed his eyes feeling mildly annoyed all of a sudden "... if she finished healing you, then why is he carrying you?"

"Because it takes some time before the muscles in my legs will function again" she blushed profoundly and avoided looking at him.

"I see..." the Dragon Slayer didn't know why but he still felt rather suspicious about her excuse, but also angry for some reason. Actually it was as if the depressing and almost mad feelings he had felt earlier had been replaced with an unreasonable bad temper.

"Mmm..." Gray snickered teasingly "... Lucy have you noticed?"

"Noticed what?" she answered.

The ice mage nodded with his head making her follow the motions direction, where she spotted a pile of clothes.

"I think someone here is taking a bath commando style, huh?" Gray chuckled.

"Oh..." Lucy's blush intensified in colour and covered a lot more skin all of a sudden.

"So what?" Natsu grumbled not understanding why that would be an issue "It's much easier getting clean without clothes on"

"Ye... yeah... sure" Lucy stuttered and turned her head to look at the sky.

"Anyhow..." Gray exhaled loudly "... the master said that you should go to Porlyusica right away. She should be back at her own place by now, since she rushed out of the guild the moment she finished healing us"

"Fine..." exhaling a deep breath Natsu closed his eyes, not looking forward to that encounter.

"You know she ain't that scary once you get used to her" Gray tried encouraging the other mage but it didn't help.

"Yeah, yeah..." the Dragon Slayer opened his eyes "... I guess I better get going then..."

"N-n-n-n-no! Stop!" Lucy yelled her lips trembling for some reason.

"What?" a wave of irritation washed over Natsu again, as he started emerging from the water.

"I said stop!" the celestial mage raised her arm and waved with it frantically.

"Why?" the Dragon Slayer raised an eyebrow but did what he was told, when he was mere seconds away from exposing his valuables.

"B-because I don't want to see that..." she shook her head to empathise her statement "... be-besides your shoulder is bleeding!"

"... girls..." Gray rolled with his eyes "... just look the other way for a second, it shouldn't take long for him to get decent and then we'll patch him up"

"Fine..." Lucy clenched her eyelids hard together before pressing her head against the ice mage's back, to make sure she didn't see anything.

"Mmm..." Natsu narrowed his eyes feeling a sudden urge to growl, but avoided doing so as he quickly grabbed his boxers and stood staring at them for a few seconds.

"You know I don't mind that much seeing you naked, but can you for the love of god just put them on" Gray closed his eyes before turning his head away from him.

"What?!" outraged Natsu waved with his boxers "They are dirty and smelly! I don't want to put them back on!"

In all honesty all of his clothes was tattered and dirty, so he didn't want to put any of it back on.

"Hold on a second" Lucy fumbled with her keys still with her eyes closed and a second later she had summoned Virgo, who quickly understood the situation and vanished back into the spirit world, where she got some clothes, a washing cloth and bandages for them.

"Is that all?" Virgo asked the blonde while snickering, because it was rather evident that the spirit thought the situation was hilarious.

"Yes thank you, you can go back now" Lucy nodded still with her eyes firmly shut and a second later the spirit vanished.

"Thanks..." Natsu muttered to himself as he grabbed the new pair of boxers and put them on, trying his best not to get any blood on them from the wound on his leg. Once that was done he grabbed the washing cloth and soaked it with water, in order to remove the fresh blood on his thigh before bandaging it. When that task was done, he washed his shoulder, but it was quickly rather evident for everyone that he would need help bandaging it.

"Uhm..." Gray started sounding rather uncomfortable "... so you need..."

"I can do it" Lucy quickly interrupted him.

"You sure?" the ice mage asked clearly relieved, that he didn't have to do that task.

"Yeah it's fine" the celestial mage answered and a second later she was placed on the ground next to the Dragon Slayer "So uhm... you ready for this?"

"Uh-huh" Natsu nodded and smiled brightly "Thanks"

"You're welcome" Lucy blushed as she started wrapping the bandage around his shoulder, her hands shaking slightly for some reason.

Natsu wouldn't deny it, it actually felt pretty good having another person bandaging him. Of course he had been bandaged by other people before, but there was just something really amazing about it this time. Natsu didn't know why that was, but for some reason each time he felt Lucy's warm fingers gently brushing against him, it made his skin prickle almost as if he was covered with invisible goosebumps.

It was really weird, but also oddly satisfying making a pleasant shiver run down his spine.

"All done" Lucy smiled and tilted her head to the side "How does it feel?"

He tested the bandage by moving his arm back and forth "It's great thanks"

"You're welcome..." she nodded before something seemed to catch her attention, making her stare intensely at his face.

"What?"

She didn't say anything but instead sighed loudly, before grabbing some more bandages and leaning closer to him.

"Luce?"

Still not saying anything she gently grabbed the wet hair that was falling down his face with one hand, eyeing his now revealed forehead.

"Natsu can you hold your hair for me, while I bandage your head?" Lucy asked and that was when he recalled smashing his head against the ground.

"Ohh yeah sure" the Dragon Slayer said as he raised his arm to place his hand in the spot she encouraged him to place it.

It was only for a short second, but when his hand momentarily met the skin of her hand, he felt a wave of what felt like electricity rush through his body.

 _Weird..._

Exhaling loudly he just stared in front of him, while she bandaged his head. Which essentially meant he was glaring at her neck and her huge, enormous and extremely soft looking...

A mental image of himself snuggling his head against her, while he sought comfort entered his mind, making him feel like blushing for some reason.

 _Don't go there brain!_

Closing his eyes the Dragon Slayer waited as best as he could for the girl to finish bandaging him, which fortunately didn't take that long.

"You done now?" Natsu asked cautiously still with his eyes firmly shut.

"Yup, all done"

"Good... thanks" he sighed and opened his eyes.

"It was nothing really" Lucy waved her hands dismissively.

Not sure what to say to that, he got into a standing position, where he started putting on the rest of the clothes Virgo had brought with her.

"Wait..." Lucy said before she grabbed the bag that was strapped on her back and started rummaging through it "... hold on a second... ah-ha! Here!"

"My scarf!" Natsu smiled a toothy grin and took the item from the girl's hands.

"Yeah I kinda took care of it while... you know what happened" she blushed slightly but smiled back at him in encouragement.

"Thanks, I really appreciate it" he did, in all honesty it made him feel all giddy inside that she was so considerate.

"You're welcome"

"Well..." Natsu exhaled loudly as he wrapped the scarf around his neck "... I guess I should get going before the old hag comes looking for me"

"Good idea" Gray nodded "I learned the hard way, that she hates waiting for people"

"Why didn't you say so?" Natsu's eyes widened in horror "See ya later!" and with that he raced towards the healer's place, unsure about what would happen next.

* * *

 **A/N:** Gehehehehe... his valuables... you know what, that's all I have to say for now. So yeah! I'm gonna leave while giggling about valuable things – pun intended, haha! XD

Have a nice one y'all! (free hugs for everyone!) :D


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer:** Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima

* * *

 _ **ACT IV: Aftermath – Psychological Wounds**_

 _ **Approximately X793**_

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

 **Chapter 16: Searching**

 _It was soooo not worth it..._

The Dragon Slayer thought to himself as he sprinted through the forest as fast as he could, with huge frightened eyes. After he had received the message from Gray, he had of course gone to Porlyusica's place, even if he had done so somewhat reluctantly.

 _But oohh boy, she sure as hell was one scary old lady._

Natsu gulped and felt a chill run down his spine, as a mental image of Porlyusica threatening him with her broom spawned in his mind. Actually she had managed to hit him rather hard a few times on his head, before he had a chance to escape from her angry fit.

"Stupid old hag..." Natsu pouted defiantly and felt how a huge and sore lump was starting to form on his head.

The Dragon slayer kept running until he eventually reached the guild, which he burst into rather loudly.

"My, my someone looks like he's in a hurry" Mirajane chuckled warmly "Welcome back"

"Uhm yeah, hi Mira" his head turned around frantically as he kept searching for one specific person. It didn't take long before his eyes spotted her blonde hair, making him race over to her.

Currently Lucy was chatting with Levy and he had no doubt, that it was about something boring.

"Luce!" he yelled and slammed his hands against the table, making the contents on it shake from his outburst.

"Ye-yeah?!" the celestial gasped in surprise, because she had been so involved in her conversation, that his sudden gesture shocked her.

"You busy?"

"No... not exactly, I'm just talking to Levy about this new book that was published the other day..."

"Uh-huh, okay great" he nodded, only hearing the keyword no.

"You think so?" the blonde blinked in surprise.

"Of course!" he crocked an eyebrow, before grinning widely "I need you to come with me!"

"Wha...?" Lucy was abruptly interrupted, as Natsu grasped her wrist with the thought of dragging her with him, but because he was in such a rush he completely forgot that she couldn't move her legs. Well that was until he heard her squeal in surprise as she started falling down from her seat.

"Ohh... woops!" having quick reflexes he caught her shoulders with his hands, preventing the girl from colliding with the floor.

"Th-thanks..." Lucy muttered before snapping her head up, her eyes glistening with annoyance "... you moron! Think before you act!"

"Yeah sorry about that..." Natsu chuckled sheepishly, but quickly turned into his serious mode "... I need you to come with me"

"Oh... okay?" she answered feeling perplexed about what was so urgent all of a sudden.

"Neat!" smiling brightly he quickly scooped the girl into his arms, making her squeal yet again. "I'm sorry Levy" the Dragon Slayer turned his head to send the blue haired girl a smile "I'll return her later, kay?"

"You just take good care of her, you hear?" Levy waved with her hand and smiled brightly at exciting duo.

"Aye!" Natsu blushed and ignored the blonde's almost inaudible protests as they made their way outside. It didn't take long before they were outside of Magnolia, but they didn't stop until they reached a huge lake.

"This should do it" Natsu nodded to himself as he turned his head to look down at Lucy who looked slightly annoyed.

"Do what? Why did you drag me out here?" the blonde narrowed her eyes and gave him a look that clearly implied that if she didn't like his answer, then she might actually kick his butt later on.

"Well I just got back from Porlyusica"

"Ohh! How did it go?" Lucy asked sincerely wanting to know about the meeting.

"Ehhh..." he rolled his eyes "... okay until she started hitting me with her broom"

"I see..."

"Anyhow she told me a lot of confusing stuff... so..." he narrowed his eyes for a second, debating how much he actually wanted to tell her.

"If you tell me what she told you, then maybe I can help making it less confusing?" Lucy smiled, trying to encourage him to proceed.

"Yeah..." he quickly glanced at the sky, before sighing heavily "... yeah..."

"Good but... uhm... would you mind putting me down?"

"Ohh yeah sure"

Natsu gently placed her on the ground, before sitting down in front of her.

"So... " the blonde tilted her head to the side "what did she say?"

"Well..." he rubbed the skin where his markings were "... she essentially said some of the same stupid stuff Gildarts told me... or well, she said something about the demon somehow being in my blood, which means it's a part of me I'll have to live with, since it ain't something that can be removed. So I have to accept it, even if I don't want to" he sighed in frustration "So yeah... she said that right now my demonic side is dormant, but it could be unleashed whenever I give in to anger, since that's apparently what fuel my curse"

"Mmm..." Lucy rubbed her chin in thought "... but what about your markings?"

"She said I should keep an eye on it, because if they start glowing then that indicates that the demonic powers are trying to spawn"

"Ohh..." the celestial mage muttered "... but didn't she give you any advice or something?"

"Yeah she told me that I need to accept my former self" Natsu said sounded impatient as he ruffled his hair "That should help me to control my demonic powers"

"That makes sense... I mean it's almost spiritual when you think about it"

"How so?"

"Well in order to make your mind and powers stable, you need to accept the demonic personality you're evidently carrying"

"But... that's what I don't get, he isn't someone else" Natsu pointed at himself his eyes flashing with sadness but also confusion "... he's... me"

"Exactly"

"What?"

"Because you're him and vice versa, then you need to accept that he's a part of your past. That's why it's almost spiritual because right now you're unconsciously blocking or suppressing that part of you, but in order for you to become a whole being you need to accept your past. If you don't accept your past, then it could damage your mental stability, since whatever you experienced could potentially try to force itself forth at inconvenient moments"

"Argh!" Natsu groaned and shook his head "That's so confusing"

"Not really" Lucy smiled warmly "If you want to gain control, then you simply need to accept the past"

"I see... okay yeah that kinda makes sense" he closed his eyes feeling somewhat defeated, but also slightly annoyed because he didn't truly want to acknowledge his demonic side.

"Yes" Lucy nodded "Did she give you any advice on how you can do that?"

"Uh-huh" Natsu groaned his shoulder visibly dropping "she told me to mediate at a nice and calm place, preferably near water for some reason"

"Ahh so that's why you dragged me out here"

"But you know what?" Natsu shook his head defiantly before forming an x with his arms "I'm not doing it"

"Why not?" the celestial mage blinked.

"Because meditating is boring" he raised an eyebrow and gave her a sceptic look "And you know I'm not a patient person"

"Yeah that's true..." Lucy hummed and placed an index finger on her lips "...would you do it, if I do it with you?"

"Uhm... no? I don't think so... besides..."

"Besides?"

"I'm not sure I want to be in control of my demonic side" Natsu looked at the sky with a sad expression "I mean why would I want anything relating to that... thing... when I know it caused so much suffering in the past"

"I understand why you feel like that..." Lucy said in a serious but warm tone "... however this is something you need to do, in order to gain control of your powers. I mean wouldn't it be worse if you accidentally summoned him again and you actually killed someone you care about?"

"I..." his eyes widened momentarily in horror, before he turned his head to look at her "... never thought of it that way"

"Yeah sorry for being so direct about it" she chuckled sounding somewhat nervous.

"No it's fine" he exhaled a shaking breath.

"So about this meditating thing" Lucy scratched her chin "How about we turn it into an event?"

"An event?"

"Yeah, I mean if you'll let me help you, then I could treat you to something delicious to eat when we're done"

"Really?" he blinked suddenly excited about the prospect of food.

"Yeah sure why not?"

"Deal!" Natsu smiled widely revealing his canines.

"... why do I have a feeling that this might ruin me..." she massaged the bridge of her nose and let out a groan.

"Sorry?" he said trying to sound innocent.

"Yeah, yeah..." Lucy sighed loudly "... you want to try it out right now?"

"Uhm okay" he shrugged "So what do you want me to do?"

"First you need to get into a meditative stance, so cross your legs and place your arms on top of them"

Natsu did what he was told without saying anything.

"Right, now close your eyes and focus on your breathing"

Exhaling loudly he did that too.

"Now relax and feel how the air enters your body" Lucy said in a calm voice "Imagine the air flowing through every inch of you, making your muscles feel more heavy but also more calm. Imagine how your muscles are being pulled downwards, like gravity is somehow weighing them down"

Not sure why that would help, Natsu tried his best to imagine it. But after a few minutes he felt how he seemed to enter a drowsy state, making him feel relaxed on a level he hadn't experienced before.

"Let go of your thoughts and focus all of your attention on the sound of the waves as they gently hit the shore" the celestial mage said, secretly feeling proud that the Dragon Slayer had come this far without throwing a tantrum about it being boring.

Actually Natsu was trying his best to take it seriously and do what she said, because if it could prevent future disasters, then why not give it a shot? Besides there was also the prospect of sweet delicious food...

The thought of food, made his jaw drop, before a small amount of drool streamed down his chin.

"This ain't rocket science, so will you stop being disgusting and focus?" Lucy said impatiently.

"Ahh sorry..." he chuckled before wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

"It's fine, now focus"

"Uh-huh" Natsu took a few deep breaths as he tried once again to calm his mind and body. It didn't take long before he felt relaxed again, as he sat listening to the sound of the waves.

"Now I want you to feel the soft wind, blowing against your skin..." Lucy said in a soothing tone ".. feel it as it brushes against your skin"

As Natsu sat there he realised that he had never really noticed how soft and gentle the wind could feel. It was like the wind itself was caressing him in an almost loving gesture, which felt rather amazing.

The Dragon Slayer was feeling really calm after a while almost on the brink of falling asleep, when Lucy spoke again.

"Now I want you to search inside of yourself. First you need to imagine your soul, as something physical inside of yourself"

Furrowing his eyebrows he tried doing that, even though it was rather difficult at first. It was like searching for something in a big dark and vast area, without any light or guidance. However after a few minutes he could feel an essence inside of him. It was rather warm and almost radiating in various colours.

"Have you found it?"

He nodded briefly to answer her question.

His soul or whatever it was felt so innocent, like it had never seen or experienced anything evil.

For some reason it made him feel somewhat happy, to see that it wasn't contaminated by the demon.

"Don't be so full of yourself... " he heard Gildarts voice suddenly repeating in his mind "... Your hands are still drenched with your friend's blood ..."

 _It's a lie... it had to be a lie... his soul was too pure to be something so wickedly and cruel as the demon represented._

"... you still need to accept the fact that you're him" Gildart's voice continued.

 _No, he couldn't be..._

Still being somewhat in denial, Natsu felt an unpleasant shiver run down his spine.

"You need to accept and come to terms with the fact that you're END" this time the older mage's voice was twisted and sounded more threatening and cruel, unlike how he had said it in reality.

 _I don't want to_... Natsu thought and felt how angst started to itch it's way into his system, like it was an unnatural creature that started digging it's large claws into him.

An image of Gray suddenly entered his mind. It was all blurry, but he could still recognise him.

"Come on! Snap out of it already!" the ice mage said sounding really pissed.

"You'll pay!" another person said in a voice that was dripping with unrestricted anger "I'll make you pay for what you did!"

The sound made the Dragon Slayer flinch, as black flames started to spawn around his glistening soul, threatening to overwhelm and consume him.

"For what?!" he heard Gray snort in annoyance.

A sudden sadness spawned inside of him, but he had no idea why. It was rather unpleasant because it was something he couldn't control. The thought of not being in control caused him to momentarily panic, which his body reacted to by making few droplets of cold sweat run down his face.

Just as fast as the sadness had spawned it was replaced with an unreasonable anger.

"Ohh... I'll spell it for you" the unknown voice stated while laughing hysterically "... yes I'll write it in capital letters on your face, with my fists!"

The black flames started to pulsate in a weird way, before they started growing in intensity. There was something ominous and foreboding about it, that the Dragon Slayer suddenly felt paralysed by fear.

A ferocious and lethal growl echoed through his mind as the flames started to consume and extinguishing the brightness of his soul, almost as if it was trying to eat his personality. It felt absolutely horrible, because it was as if he was slowly drowning in madness and anger.

Natsu was heaving for air and felt how more sweat started pouring down his body.

"... at..." a female and gentle voice called from somewhere, but for some reason it was hard to hear what she said.

"...wa... up... co... ba..."

 _It sounded so much like Lucy but what was she doing there?_

"... come..."

 _Come where?_ His mind was suddenly at a standstill, frozen in time like it was put on pause.

"... wake up..."

 _She's dead... dead and gone..._

 _No... she's right there calling for him..._

 _Why was it so hard to breathe?_

"Come back!" Lucy's voice boomed loudly all of a sudden, making him snap his eyes wide open.

At first it was like Natsu was blinded, as he sat staring into thin air with a haunted look.

"... your eyes..." the celestial mage whispered in fright, as she leaned backwards and away from him, where she sat staring at his right arm with horror written in her eyes.

Feeling confused Natsu tried not to think too much about her actions, instead he focused on trying to do something as basic as breathing properly, because he was very close to hyper ventilating.

His heart was pulsating in a heavy and fast pace, making it boom loudly inside his head, but fortunately the sound soon started to vanish as he regained control of his body again.

"Ahh..." exhaling Natsu closed his eyes before wiping his face with both hands, to remove the unpleasant layer of sweat.

"You.. how are you feeling?" Lucy asked sounding somewhat nervous.

"I'm okay... I think..." he opened his eyes and glared at her trembling body "... what's wrong?"

"N-nothing" she faked a smile and waved with both hands in front of her "Don't worry about me"

"Mmm..." narrowing his eyes in suspicion he kept glaring at her.

"I... uhm..." she fidgeted feeling rather uncomfortable by being in his spotlight "... so uhm... what happened?"

"Not sure..." Natsu answered truthfully, not totally understanding himself what he had just seen.

"You wanna talk about it?"

"No... not really..."

"Okay... well just know that I'm here if you need anything"

"Yeah..." he smiled sadly to himself "... thanks"

None of them said anything for a few minutes, they just sat trying to digest in their own minds what had happened.

"So..." Lucy broke the silence "... this might sound random, but I was wondering, if you would like to go somewhere with me"

"Mmm?" Natsu blinked "Where to?"

"Well according to Porlyusica, I should regain the movements in my legs in a few days and I thought it would be nice going back home"

"Home?" he tilted his head to the side and looked rather confused "To your apartment?"

"No to my family's mansion" Lucy looked down on the ground "Remember Zeref said that there was a book written by my mum there"

"You sure that wasn't a lie?" he asked feeling sceptic "I mean it's not like we can trust that guy"

"Nevertheless I want to see it for myself" the celestial mage said in a determined tone "I have to make sure whether or not the book exists"

"Well then why not go tomorrow? I mean I wouldn't mind carrying you"

"It's okay, I want to search for the book too and I can't do that when I can't walk"

"Well alright if you're sure"

"I am" Lucy nodded with a smile "Thank you"

"You're welcome..." Natsu smiled brightly and got into a standing position, where he stretched his arms above his head, making some of his bones crack "... mmm... I guess it's time"

"Time for what?"

"For you to threat me to something to eat!" Natsu said sounding really excited.

"Ohh... right..." Lucy said in a somewhat gloomy voice.

"Yosh!" he nodded eagerly to himself "Let's go!"

"I... woooooa!" the celestial mage squealed when he scooped her up into his arms and started running back towards the city.

 _Food... and especially comfy food was the best after a loooong day of struggling..._

* * *

 **A/N:** Now that's some hardcore meditating o.O

As I mentioned in the beginning of this story and in the summary, this will somehow end up in Nalu being a thing (I'm sorry I can't help my romantic heart). However it isn't the main focus, because sure, there'll be some bonding and cute moments, but it's mainly for building up their relationship and to answer some vital things that relate to either the plot of this story, or the struggles the Dragon Slayer is having (I'm not done tormenting him, bwahahaha!).

And about the whole demon thing, remember what Zeref said a few chapters ago:

" _In some aspects yes, however that doesn't mean he can't evoke the raw power of the demon that is still a vital part of his being. I mean being a demon is what he is in his blood, so it's still a latent part of him, until the time he summons it. That essentially means he could turn, if he pass the limited boundaries in his body that is now keeping it under control"_

So uhm... yeah! Take care you guys! Have a nice one on me :)

/Hejmdal


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer:** Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima

* * *

 _ **ACT IV: Aftermath – Psychological Wounds**_

 _ **Approximately X793**_

 _A week passed by, before Lucy was ready to go back to the Heartfilia mansion. All though it took longer than any of them anticipated, it didn't go by totally eventless, especially for Natsu who was trying to deal, with the internal struggles he was experiencing. Sometimes it would manifest in flashbacks all of a sudden, placing him in different events in his mind, that he had no memory of._

 _The flashbacks could be triggered by random things such as words or sounds, but there was no consistency in when it would happen. It could be something as simple as a brawl at the bar or people talking about something that could make it spawn, leaving him helpless as the images suddenly overwhelmed him. To make matters worse, the Dragon Slayer was haunted by nightmares, disturbing his sleep and leaving him in a rather foul mood. Actually all of what had transpired was starting to leave a mark on him making him restless, but also more sensitive and alert towards stuff that happened all around him. It was weird and made Natsu feel like he was on an emotional roller-coaster he couldn't control..._

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

 **Chapter 17: Legacy**

 _Blood... there was blood everywhere..._

Natsu turned around on the spot a few times to take in the scenario, which looked like a huge battlefield, where the corpses of both humans and dragons was sprawled everywhere. Unfortunately this wasn't the first time he had been in this particular scenario in his nightmare, but it was still rather horrible to experience, especially because he could smell and sense all the nasty things that surrounded him. The smell of blood was one thing, but smelling how the victims had died by various things like burned, electrocuted or shred to pieces was rather grim and made him feel nauseas.

Sometimes Natsu only visited the battlefield for a short amount of time in his nightmares, others different events would occur. It was very different how things played out for some reason, making it really unpredictable. Especially because the nightmares could take current events or other stuff that wasn't related to it at all and make them more horrific.

An unpleasant shiver went down his spine as he glared at his bloodstained hands.

 _Yeah... that image was still haunting him, even when he was awake._

 _Igneel..._

The mighty fire dragon was suddenly there, ignoring him for some reason.

It was really weird because Natsu didn't feel like he was himself, but more like some weird reflection of someone else. In fact he couldn't even control his own movements.

 _And of course he knew who that was, even if it was hard coming to terms with..._

"Hey!" Natsu heard himself yell all of a sudden "Stop being a shit head and look in my direction!"

"Hmm..." Igneel hummed in a lazy voice.

"Oy!" the Dragon Slayer pointed his finger accusingly at the dragon "Don't you hmm me! I'll show you how amazing my fire is!"

For some reason black flames was suddenly covering Natsu's body "See?"

Sighing Igneel turned his head to the side, feigning interest in the other person.

"Hey!" Natsu's eyes bulged in surprise "Stop being a shit head and look in my direction!"

"You're such a brat..."

"So what if I am? You're just an annoying and ugly dragon!"

"Say that again!"

"You're ugly!"

"You're calling me the almighty Igneel ugly?!"

"Yeah!"

They stood glaring at each other for a second.

The next part of his nightmare would always be different, so the Dragon Slayer almost wanted the dialogue to continue, because it was somewhat safe...

Unconsciously Natsu raised his arm and a second later the dragon was covered in black flames.

The scream... _ohh god_... the sound of the screaming dragon being tortured was agonising...

"How dare you die! You told me that life was more precious than that! You..." his voice was trembling with anger and sorrow "You told me that there's more to life than death and..."

Tears was suddenly streaming down his face, his heart beating irregularly and painful in his chest.

"And then you just go ahead and fucking die!" his voice cracked as he sucked in his breath "Why?"

The dragon didn't answer but kept screaming in a dreadful and heartbreaking way.

 _Please make it stop..._

"Why did you leave me behind?" Natsu suddenly felt more in control of his body "I had dreams and stuff I wanted to tell you... I... had so many things I wanted to share with you..."

Everything started to pulsate in a weird sort of way as he glared down at his hands.

The amount of blood intensified and was now streaming down his wrists and through his fingers,.

"No..." Natsu shook his head in denial "... please god no..."

It didn't stop. On the contrary the blood came at a faster pace and at the same time the screaming from dragon grew in volume.

"No... stop it! Please just... stop it!"

A heartbreaking scream escaped his lips and it followed him into the world of the living, as his body shot into a sitting position.

Panting and struggling to breath in an even tempo, he just sat staring into thin air with haunted eyes.

Natsu didn't notice it at first, but a layer of sweat was covering every inch of him and in some places it formed into droplets, before trailing down his body.

"... shit..." Natsu muttered and bend his legs, so he could wrap his arms around them and hug them close to his chest.

Exhaling a deep breath of frustration, he slammed his forehead against his knees,

 _So tired... like holy mother of everything, he felt so exhausted._

But the Dragon Slayer didn't want to go to sleep again... no, he might have the same nightmare again and he did NOT want that to replay again.

Actually it was kinda weird how messed up his mind had been lately. Not only because of the nightmares or night-terrors, but also because of the flashbacks. Since the flashbacks could happen anywhere and at any place, Natsu felt certain that there wasn't anything he could do about it. Which was also why he hadn't told his team or anyone else about it, because why worry them, when it was something that time would eventually heal.

Just like it had when Igneel left...

"Dad..." the Dragon slayer whispered before he started knocking his head against his knees in an even rhythm.

Natsu sat like that for a few minutes, before he turned his head to glare out of the window.

It was still dark outside and he instinctively knew, that he hadn't gotten enough sleep. Especially because it had taken him ages just to fall asleep.

It really sucked. Not just a little but a ton and some more...

"Mohh!" Natsu complained as he got out of bed and fetched his clothes. Not sure what else to do he decided to go for a walk to let out some steam.

When Natsu got outside he had to admit that it was a wonderful night. The sky was clear and there was a soft breeze, that was characteristic for a warm summer night. As he walked through the town he noticed that most of the houses were dark, indicating that the residents in them were asleep.

"... damn you all, I want that too" Natsu grumbled suddenly feeling annoyed as he started stomping down the road.

Stupid people and stupid sleep... right now even Happy was probably sleeping with saliva streaming out of his mouth.

The last few nights the cat had spent his nights at other places, mainly because it was too hard for him to listen to the Dragon Slayer's screams in the middle of the night. Or well... at first Happy was determined and wanted to stay, trying his best to deny that the screams terrified him. But it did and somehow Natsu managed to convince the cat to go sleep at other places for a while.

Why did Natsu do that? Because he knew Happy needed sleep to function, but also because he felt somewhat guilty for waking and scaring the poor cat. Of course he had tried to make the scream less audible by screaming into a pillow, but the cat always heard him.

"... stupid screaming and stupid nightmares" he growled to himself before kicking a poor defenceless rock on the ground, that flew into the river where it landed with a splash.

Walking was starting to get boring, so Natsu decided to start on his way back home.

Hopefully they still had some food in the fridge or something, that could keep him entertained until the morning, when he had to met with his team to go on a special mission.

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

It didn't take long for the team consisting of Lucy, Natsu, Gray, Erza, Wendy, Carla and Happy to reach the Heartfilia mansion.

 _Finally! They would finally get the book Zeref mentioned_ , Lucy thought smiling widely at what they might find of answers in the book. Of course it could be a lie or even a trap, but for some reason the celestial mage highly doubted that.

"So how is it like being back here?" Gray asked eyeing the girl in curiosity.

"It's okay" she smiled at the ice mage "Kinda nostalgic in a way"

"But it's so huuuuge" Wendy said feeling thoroughly amazed by it "You must have been like royalty"

"Yeah, we had the same reaction when we first saw this place" the ice mage smirked towards the healer.

"Our mansion is right up ahead" Lucy said and pointed her finger to show its location.

"Wooooow!" The healer gasped, her mouth forming a circle "You really lived there Lucy-san?"

"I did" the celestial mage chuckled at the girl's reaction.

"It ain't that fancy you know" Natsu snorted, sounding mildly annoyed "I mean I would rather live in a small place, than a huge and unpleasant one"

"Don't..." Lucy turned her head a flash of sadness and anger in her eyes "... say it like that"

"What?" the Dragon Slayer shrugged "It's the truth ain't it? You were the one who ran away from here, so why claim it's a good place when it ain't? I mean sugar coating something like that is just stupid"

And with that he stomped on ahead, leaving the group behind.

"I really... really hope he'll get some sleep soon" Gray sighed and clenched his fist "These mood swings is pissing me off"

"He'll get around eventually. Until then all we have to do is endure it" Erza said but deep inside she really wished that the change would come sooner rather than later.

"Natsu-san" Wendy muttered and looked down in defeat. This wasn't anything she could heal and it pained her immensely.

Being sleep deprived was one thing, but Natsu somehow succeeded in taking it to another level completely. One minute he could be happy, the next he could be utterly mad. The change was instant and faster than you could snap your fingers. Besides that his mood could be so gosh darn unpredictable. Actually sometimes it seemed like even the Dragon Slayer was surprised about his reactions.

Maybe it was because Natsu usually was a heavy sleeper and needed a certain amount of sleep to function, or perhaps it was because he was already an emotional person, that reacted on whatever he felt.

 _Yeah like adding fuel to the flames..._

Lucy sighed heavily and massaged her temple.

The number one reason Lucy suspected was behind his abnormal behaviour, was because she was certain that the Dragon Slayer was hiding how strong his internal struggles with the demon really was. Of course she didn't know to what extent it was, but for her it was rather evident that it was effecting him somehow, other than him not getting enough sleep. Which he didn't need to tell them, because his physical features revealed that rather quickly. Well for one thing he had bags under his eyes, secondly he sometimes entered a zombie like state where he just sat staring into thin air, as if he was sleeping with his eyes open.

It was a hard situation and she didn't know how to deal with it. Of course she had tried getting Natsu to meditate again, but for some reason he always managed to avoid doing so, by making excuses or running away.

 _It was a hassle indeed..._

Fortunately Lucy didn't have to think about their problems with the Dragon Slayer at the moment, because it didn't take long before they reached the mansion, where they found their way to the library.

"Ohhh!" Wendy's eyes widened when she took in the huge amount of bookshelves.

"I suggest we split up and search" Erza suggested with a nod "If you find anything please be sure to shout out for the rest of us"

"Yeah good idea" Gray agreed and with that they went searching for the book.

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

 _I really... really don't want to be here..._

The Dragon Slayer groaned out loud as he glared lazily at a bookshelf filled with books, not reading what was written on them.

"Seriously..." he sighed and blinked a few times trying to concentrate.

There was a lot books about stupid stuff, which kind of annoyed him as he kept searching. Well that was until he eventually got to the section about legends.

"Ohh..." Natsu crocked an eyebrow when he saw one book with the title Dragons and Fables "Neat!"

Opening the book he was pleasantly surprised that it also contained illustrations of dragons and honestly that was really awesome!

Grinning to himself Natsu started flicking through the pages until he spotted a unique headline: The king of fire dragons...

He wanted to read it all, but Natsu was too lazy to do that so instead he read the last few sentences out loud.

"This legendary dragon was a well known and loved even amongst his own species. But just like all the other fables about dragons, Igneel died during the Dragon King festival. Nobody knows much about him and so his true legacy to the world, will forever be unknown. All because Igneel met his end too soon"

Natsu reread the sentence before the meaning behind the words hit him, like a shovel in the face.

 _Igneel met his end too soon..._

 _His END too soon..._

A flashback spawned in his mind, briefly knocking the air out of him.

 _Nobody knows him and his true legacy to the world..._

 _All because Igneel met his end too soon..._

 _No..._

The images from his latest nightmare was replaying in his mind, making his heart rate fasten all of a sudden.

He could remember Igneel! His death wasn't totally lost to the world... but.. that scream... oh god the horrible screaming...

His breathing was becoming more shallow as his emotions, started to take control. Not in the good way, because he was starting to panic. Why? He honestly couldn't tell.

Panting he looked around him and for some reason the books seemed to shiver and become blurry almost as if they were a sudden threat.

 _The book of END... you did that... you hurt your own friends..._

He had to get away, right then and there! His eyes darted around the room until he found something that looked like a huge cabinet.

Not thinking twice Natsu dropped the book and quickly ran over to it, where he jumped inside and quickly closed the door behind him.

The Dragon Slayer could feel his mood changing immediately as he sat there trying to regain his breath.

"Stupid book..." he whispered and nuzzled his chin against his scarf.

Natsu didn't sit there for long when a knock on the door made him flinch in surprise.

"Uhm... are you okay in there?" Lucy asked in concern from the other side.

"Ye... yeah" Natsu answered and wondered how on earth she had found him.

"Good" she said and a second later the cabinet opened "You know if you wanna hide, you should make sure not to get your scarf caught in the door"

"Ahh..." Natsu scratched his neck "... yeah"

"Seriously" Lucy quickly scanned his body "What's wrong?"

"Nothing I just..."

"Yeah?"

"Page 34" he said and pointed towards the book on the ground.

"Okay..."

"The last part..."

"Gotcha" she quickly took the book and read the specific page. Once she was finished her eyes widened in sympathy and surprise. After all she had figured out rather fast that the word 'end' could cause him to have a drastic change in attitude, mainly manifesting in either anger or sorrow.

"I'm sorry" Lucy closed the book and placed it on the shelf before walking over to him.

"It's fine..." Natsu shrugged trying to look indifferent.

"You're such a bad liar" the celestial mage had a sad smile on her lips as she wrapped her arms around the Dragon Slayer and nudged her head against his shoulder.

"Yeah..."

Natsu knew he couldn't hide his mood especially towards her. Like seriously it was like she was an emotional transmitter that caught on to everything.

Taking a deep breath he returned the gesture and took solace in the moment.

"Thanks" Natsu gave her body a squeeze and took a deep breath, before exhaling the amount of air which for some reason felt almost liberating.

"You're welcome" she squeezed him back.

They sat like that for a while when they heard Gray shouting all of a sudden "I think I found something!"

"Guess we should get going, huh?" Natsu chuckled in a gloomy tone.

"Yeah" she answered and removed herself from the hug "Come on, hopefully we'll be out of here soon"

Lucy got into a standing position and offered him her hand.

"Uh-huh" Natsu nodded and grabbed it before getting into standing position.

 _Her hand was so warm in his... it was kinda nice and comforting._

Feeling somewhat rejuvenated he kept holding onto her hand, as they made their way to the group.

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

It didn't take long for the group to reunite as they surrounded Gray, who was staring at a book in his hand.

"What does is say?" Erza asked and glanced into the book, as the ice mage quickly flipped through the pages.

"I can't say for sure, but it's all hand written and from what I saw it looks like a diary of some sort" he closed the book with a snap "Either way the title kinda says it all doesn't it?"

They all stared at the title that clearly read: A Mother's Tale, and underneath it the sentence: Lucy's Legacy, was written.

"Ohh" the blonde's mouth formed a circle as she accepted the book, when the ice mage handed it to her "I... I know this might be selfish, but if you don't mind, I would like to read this in private"

"Of course" Erza nodded towards her.

The sound of someone suddenly trying to suppress a laugh, made them all turn to look in the voice's direction.

"Happy?" Lucy asked and watched as the cat fell backwards onto his back, where he started rolling around while laughing out loud.

"What's his problem?" Gray asked and turned his head to see what might be so hilarious.

The cat didn't answer but instead pointed his paw in Lucy's and Natsu's direction.

All of them turned their heads to see what it was and once they realised their eyes widened in surprise.

Well not all of them, Natsu seemed quite indifferent to it. Which he was, because why would they create a fuss about him holding Lucy's hand?

"I see" Erza's aura seemed to sparkle for a second in happiness.

"Don't see why that's funny though" Gray shrugged and smiled somewhat mockingly "I mean after all, Lucy did break the friend zone rule by smacking her lips against his"

"Wait..." Lucy's eyes bulged clearly understanding what the ice mage was implying "... no, no, no!"

She quickly snatched her hand back, so it wasn't intertwined with the Dragon Slayer's any more.

"It's not what you think!" she shook her head, cheeks blushing fiercely from the accusation.

"Suuuure it isn't" Gray smirked teasingly.

"It's not!" she stomped with her foot feeling annoyed all of a sudden "Hmf! But see if care, I'm going back!"

 _Jeez, sometimes her guild mates could be so childish!_

With her head held high Lucy hugged the book tightly against her bosom, and with loud stomps made her way outside, away from her somewhat annoying team.

* * *

 **A/N:** If I didn't know better I would say I unconsciously made Natsu suffer from PTSD, with the flashback, nightmares, suppressing things o.o

Anyhow, I just finished the notes for the last battle and is about to type the first edition. Hopefully it'll be epic and... not bad. Bad is not good and we want good!

Actually that reminds me, if you have any suggestions or opinions about the upcoming battle, feel free to send me a pm, before this arc/act finishes. Of course I have already a lot planned, but if there is a fight you would love to see, then I'm open for ideas. So yeah, I'm hereby giving you guys the power to have an influence on who fights or who teams up on an opponent :)

Cakes and bunnies! :3

That is all...

/H


	18. Chapter 18

(Just a quick heads up, the diary is a short version and only contains some of the relevant entries, because otherwise it would essentially just be a recap of the story and that's kinda boring if you ask me. SO whatever else is in the diary, I'll leave open to your imagination (interpretation).

 **Disclaimer:** Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima

* * *

 _ **ACT IV: Aftermath – Psychological Wounds**_

 _ **Approximately X793**_

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

 **Chapter 18: Layla's story**

 _It didn't take long before they reached Magnolia, where Lucy separated with her team and went back to her own apartment. Here she casually rested on her bed before picking up the book, her mama had left behind. At first she just stared at it before she took a moment to gently caress the book, by trailing a finger down the cover of it. After that Lucy opened the book and started reading the handwritten pages..._

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

A Mother's Tale ~ Lucy's Legacy

 ** _X767_**

 _Hello Lucy, my dear._

 _I know I'm just being a romantic idiot for writing this story, but seeing your precious baby face reminds me that time is short. You're so adorable, right now you're sleeping in the cradle next to me. Anyway that wasn't what I was supposed to type about. This is just the beginning of the story so let's see how things unfold as time goes by, okay?_

 _So it all started in X764 I think, when I had my first encounter with Zeref. It's actually a funny story now that I think about it..._

… _So yeah that's how I joined Zeref's cause and we started working together. We aren't even close to being finished yet and I suspect it might take a few more years before it's done. I gotta say thought it's really hard work! Every day I pour my magic into the gate and it's really tiresome. That's why I retired from being a mage, because I couldn't do both things at the same time._

 _Hopefully it'll be worth it, when we open the gate to past..._

 ** _X772_**

 _Lucy, my dearest daughter,_

 _We finally opened the gate! Okay I admit it, it took a lot more effort than I expected, because it drained me really much. That's why my handwriting is kinda slobbery right now, because I'm still really fatigued._

 _Anyhow, we opened the gate and you know what I saw? Dragons! Real living dragons! Or well they weren't alive as such since it was just their spirits and not their physical body, but still it was super awesome! Ohh but you wanna know the best part? The dragons brought a bunch of lovely children! Honest to god I almost couldn't keep up my façade, because they were all so gosh darn cute!_

 _Actually I'm getting all excited thinking about it, I just can't help myself._

 _Okay, just so you know the children came from the war that happened almost 400 years ago, so I feel really glad I helped open the gate. Especially because it sounded like it was a dreadful place, even though the war had already ended. Igneel even told me so, because evidently a man harmed his kid, just because he wanted some easy money. Now how sick and cruel is that?_

 _Which reminds me, Igneel's kid is such a cutie pie! His name is Natsu and he's soooo tiny and looks like he's about the same age you. Oh-oh-oh! And he has the most amazing pink hair, it's soooo adorable I just want to ruffle it all day long! It's so strange knowing that this happy kid is Zeref's brother, because they are like completely opposite from each other!_

 _Ahem... well my first encounter with Natsu didn't go as smooth as I wanted it to and I'm ashamed to say this, but because my nose started bleeding it made him recall some awful memories he shouldn't be having. For god's sake, he's just an innocent and fragile child!_

 _Well fortunately I managed to calm him down by telling him to listen to my heartbeat. I know this is silly to write, but he actually drooled down my cleavage, hehe._

 _Anyhow I guess that's all for now. I'll update this again sometime soon._

 ** _X775_**

 _I knew it! I bloody well knew it! Zeref did hide something regarding the orphans. What you might ask? Well amongst them there is one kid who has a demon sealed inside of him and guess who that is? Yup you guessed it's none other than the poor kid Natsu._

 _At first I was really angry he didn't tell me sooner, but that wasn't even the worst part. No, Zeref actually asked me to perform a seal on the kid. How could he ask me to do something like that on the poor child? Of course I eventually agreed to do it, because it was for the best to secure his safety but still...we had to physically hurt him and tear open the flesh on his arm, in order to conceal the key inside of him. It was so dreadful and it still pains my heart just thinking about all the blood streaming down Natsu's arm..._

… _Ohh and Lucy you might not remember this, but you gave Natsu your pink peppermint cats! We gave those to you awhile back, and told you that the candy would give you strength and bravery, for whenever you felt lonely. Actually I think you used them the most, when you got scared of the monsters you thought lived underneath your bed... Anyway you gave them to Zeref and told him to give them to Natsu, because you didn't need them any more._

 _I'm so proud of you and I'll make sure to give you a few extra kisses when I tug you in tonight!_

… _Now I know this might sound silly and not relevant, but you know what? Natsu can eat fire! He was all excited about it when he showed it to me and honestly it was really adorable. I promised I would bring him candy next time I see him and hopefully I'll remember it now that I've written it down._

 _I guess that's all for now. See you soon, my precious girl._

 ** _X777_**

 _I know I haven't written in this in awhile but I don't have much time, so I guess I'll just get down to why I'm typing this. You see I was asked to create a sealing spell on the dragons and I know it's gonna be hard on me, because I haven't regained my strength yet._

 _I just... No matter what happens, I want you to know that I will love you for all eternity._

 _I don't know if I'll get a chance to tell Zeref about this book, but just in case I'll leave it in the library. He always goes there from time to time, even when I'm not around so I'm confident he'll find it eventually._

 _I'm sure things will be fine though, so I know it's silly writing this. However I'm an adult now and therefore I need to take certain precautions just in case something goes wrong..._

 _Ohh silly me, now I'm smudging out the words by crying when I'm writing. I'm too old to do something so silly aren't I?_

 _Anyway, before I leave there's just one thing I want you to know: Lucy my dear, you're my pride and joy. You're a very special girl and always will be. Not only because you're a unique and gentle girl, but because you were created because of the greatest magic of them all, love._

 _I know I've told you about this and I hope you'll understand what I mean one day. If not I'll be here to give you advice when it's your time to enter the confusing and amazing journey that involves this magic. When that happens I'll be your shoulder to cry on if things doesn't go your way, because even though love can be amazing and beautiful, it can also be harsh and cruel. As your mother I promise I'll always be your rock, whenever you need guidance and help._

 _I love you Lucy for now and all eternity._

 _\- Layla Heartfilia_

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

Lucy was happy that she decided to read the book alone at her own apartment. Especially when she reached the last part, which her eyes had kept rereading even when her vision was too blurry to make out the words.

Of course the celestial mage had a haunch that it might be somewhat heartbreaking to read, but she wasn't prepared for this.

Lucy was proud of her mama's courage and determination, but she also cursed it. Mainly because if her mama hadn't decided to help Zeref and the dragons then maybe, she would still be among the living. Sure, it wasn't something that could be observed so simple, but the idea still lingered in her mind, that if her mama had refused to seal the Dragon Slayer's inside the dragons, then she might not have suffered from magic sufficiency and died.

In some aspects it was potentially a rather beautiful story, but since it was her mother who had died it was just tragic from her point of view. And that was the primary reason Lucy was curled up in her bed, crying her eyes out while hugging a pillow tightly against her torso, like it could soothe her somehow.

 _Not that it helped..._

Lucy just laid there in her own bubble of despair, when she heard the sound of her window opening with a snap.

"Ey, you finished with that book yet?" she recognised Natsu's voice coming from behind her.

She didn't answer but instead hugged the pillow closer to her chest.

"What are doing in bed anyway?" he said sounding somewhat annoyed, as he sat down on the window frame.

"... nothing..." she answered with a sniffle.

"Are... are you... crying?"

"... yeah..."

"Ohh... I'm sorry"

 _You're sorry? That was all he had to say to that? He was sorry?_

Feeling mildly angry, Lucy got into a sitting position and rubbed her eyes, with the palm of her hands.

"So... uhm... " the Dragon Slayer sounded nervous as he started scratching the back of his neck "... you okay?"

 _Obviously I'm okay! I'm just crying my eyeballs out here, while you're just sitting like a retarded idiot?_

"... uh-huh..." she whispered and buried her head against the pillow.

Natsu blinked not sure what to say before he started twisting a few times, trying to sit in a more comfortable position "So..." he started "... you've been reading in that book, your mom left behind?"

"Uh-huh"

"... is it good?"

"Mmm-hm"

"Well... I guess it's a good thing she left it behind for you. I mean then you have some sort of keepsake to remember her with... and uhm... yeah..."

Something seemed to snap inside of her mind. Honestly she didn't know why, maybe it was because she was already so emotional fragile, but for some reason his statement made her feel furious. Like holy mother of god, every fibre of her being was suddenly tingling with anger.

"Yeah? Well sure having a book is much better than having my mama alive" her voice was dripping with sarcasm, but for some reason the Dragon Slayer didn't catch that.

"How can you say that?" he sounded astonished but also mildly offensive "If I could trade this scarf for my dad being alive, I would do it without blinking"

"Tsch! I wish he was..." she shot him a piercing glare "... because then I could kick him in the ass!"

"What?!"

"You heard me! I would kick him so hard in his gigantic red butt, that he couldn't sit for weeks!"

"The fuck Lucy?!" his eyes widened in shock at her direct statement.

"And when I'm finished with him, I would take on the other dragons, for being stupid, idiotic and selfish beings"

"Don't you dare say Igneel is stupid and idiotic!" Natsu snapped back in anger.

"Ohh yeah? Too bad he is!" she growled and got to her feet, dropping the pillow on her bed.

"No he isn't!"

"Yeah he is!" she threw her hand dismissively to the side "And I don't want you here lecturing me and telling me otherwise"

"Ohh hell I will!" Natsu growled as he crawled over her bed and placed himself in front of the fuming celestial mage.

"No! You can't tell me anything, when there's so much stuff you don't know!"

"Don't give me that shit! I don't care what you think you might know, but that doesn't give you the right to insult my dad!"

"Yes it does!" she stomped with her foot "Because you don't know anything! You know what? I hate you!"

"... what?!" he flinched, clearly hurt by her statement.

"If it weren't for you!" she clenched her hand and slammed it against his chest "And your stupid family, then none of this would have happened!"

Natsu didn't say anything, but kept glaring in confusion at the girl as she started hitting his chest with both of her hands.

"I hate you! I hate you so much!" Lucy said, her body shaking uncontrollably as sorrow mixed with her anger.

"Lucy..." the Dragon Slayer whispered.

"And yet I don't..." she sobbed, her hits weakening and becoming less forceful "you... the reason she died... if she didn't use that stupid spell then... then..." tears was once more streaming down her face.

"..."

"... she would still be here... why..." Lucy stopped hitting him and turned her head to glare into the other mage's eyes "... why did she have to die? Why?"

Lucy could actually see a similar look of pain and anger reflected in Natsu, as they stood glaring into each others eyes.

"I dunno..." the Dragon Slayer eventually sighed.

"I'm..." Lucy bit her lip for a second as a wave of regret washed over her "... I'm sorry... I didn't mean..."

"I know..."

"But..."

"It's okay..." he wrapped his arms around her and pressed her firmly against his chest.

 _He was shivering, she could feel it._

Lucy had gone too far and she knew it. But when the anger took hold of her, it had overwhelmed her like it was a title wave that swept her away. It was kinda scary in some aspects, because usually she could stay somewhat calm, no matter what happened.

"No... I'm so sorry..." she wrapped her arms around his waist and rubbed her head against his chest "I didn't mean what I said"

"Yeah..." he exhaled a shaking breath and placed his chin on her head "... I know"

"I'm an idiot" she sobbed "A mean and cruel idiot"

"No you're not"

"Yes I am..."

"Stop saying that, you're not an idiot"

"Ye-yeah?" her voice cracked painfully.

"Yeah" he gave her body a squeeze.

And with that she started bawling and crying, like there was no tomorrow.

 _It felt good... better than when she was crying alone..._

Lucy didn't know but she had a feeling that their little exchange also had a positive effect on Natsu. Especially because she knew, that both of them were in pain, and that was why they needed to let out some steam.

 _And that's what friends are for, right?_

* * *

 **A/N:** I know the plot is moving rather slowly at the moment, but it needs to be before it really starts to escalate. Besides they need to chill, lick their wounds and bond a bit, before everything goes crazy when I unleash my cruelty on them. Like seriously the angst is just around the corner, where I yet again unleash my wicked sadistic side XD

Take care y'all!

/H


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer:** Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima

* * *

 _ **ACT IV: Aftermath – Psychological Wounds**_

 _ **Approximately X793**_

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

 **Chapter 19: Haunted by the past**

Natsu was holding the crying girl, when he felt her breathing starting to become more regular indicating, that she was calming down. A lot down actually, because it felt like her body was growing more limp in his arms.

"Luce?" he asked in concern, but didn't receive an answer.

 _Wait... did she just fall asleep?_ He thought before a small snore escaped her lips, answering that question. In all honesty Natsu was kinda jealous, because being able to sleep while standing up, was a pretty neat trait to have.

He looked down at her, his cheeks blushing slightly.

 _D'aww! She looked so darn adorable._

 _Uhm.. yeah that was a rather random thing to think all of a sudden...idiot..._ he thought and kicked himself mentally for having weird thoughts.

His blush increased as he slowly manoeuvred over to the bed, where he gently placed her on top of it. Fortunately Lucy didn't wake up by the procedure, but kept sleeping even when he placed a blanket around her.

Once that was done Natsu took a step backwards and glared at the sleeping girl.

In all honesty, he was rather curious what Lucy had read in her book, because evidently it was more than enough to make her emotional and exhausted. Besides she had indicated that there was something about his dad in it and evidently it sounded like something bad, judging from the celestial mage's reaction.

Open and closing his hands Natsu turned his head around, feeling somewhat restless.

"Mmm" he hummed to himself and spotted the book in question on her table.

He could just peek into it? Like if he just read the part about Igneel, then it wouldn't be so bad would it? Because if it was stuff relating to his dad, wouldn't he be entitled to read it?

"Mmm!" he muttered in a higher tone, deep in thought and clearly struggling with the dilemma.

 _Did he dare doing it though?_

Who was he kidding, he totally dared doing it, no matter what consequences would come afterwards.

So with that in mind he casually strolled over to where the book was laying and snatched it, before he started whistling trying to sound innocent as he sidestepped over to the wall. Once there he leaned backwards and slid down, until he was sitting on the floor.

"Yosh!" Natsu said feeling victories, as he started flipping through the pages, immediately realising that it was sort of like a diary.

"Where should I begin?" he muttered to himself, his eyebrows furrowing in thought.

Not sure what else to do Natsu started from the beginning and before he knew better, he was reading the entire book. He didn't know why, but there was just something about the way Layla wrote, that captured his attention. So for him it didn't take before he got to the part where Layla wrote about her first encounter with the dark mage and revealed the fact that Zeref was his brother.

"... no way..." Natsu gasped and placed a hand above his mouth "... no freaking way..."

Well then he understood why Lucy said it was his family's fault, because it kinda was.

"Stupid Zeref..." the Dragon Slayer pouted in defiance, as he continued reading.

"... wow..." Natsu mouthed when he read about the gate and honestly he was rather impressed by Lucy's mom, who sounded like she had a lot of guts but also strength. In fact she reminded him a lot about another certain celestial mage who was currently sleeping.

 _Ohh well_ , Natsu shrugged and continued reading. As he did there was a sudden image of a woman with blonde hair in his mind, but he couldn't really remember it. Which was kinda frustrating and depressing, since Layla sounded like she had been really kind towards him.

It didn't take long before he reached the entry about how she had to leave a seal on him, making his eyes widen as he read the words.

"That's harsh..." he shook his head "... I'm sorry you had to do that" Natsu felt horrible, that she had to do something like that against a mere child. Really it made him feel slightly guilty, even if he knew it wasn't directly his fault.

 _This is so sad_ , he thought but still continued reading and ignored how his hands was starting to shake from withheld emotions. It didn't take long before he reached the final entry, which he kept rereading a few times, before he started flipping through the last pages in the book, desperately hoping that there was another entry somewhere. But it was a futile effort because it was completely empty.

 _No... no she didn't... please no..._

Natsu felt something inside of him shatter into a million pieces, as the story replayed in his mind.

In some aspects the Dragon Slayer wished he hadn't read all of it, because he somehow got an intimate view on Layla's personality and honestly, he kinda liked her because she sounded like a super neat woman.

But then she died when she performed a seal on not only him but also the other Dragon Slayer's,

The thoughts made him feel somewhat guilty, because even if it wasn't his fault, he had still been a part of the ritual.

 _Including his dad... damn..._

The strength in his hands vanished making the book fall, before it crashed on the floor.

"Talk about having a messed up family, huh?" he chuckled darkly and bend his legs, before placing his arms on top of his knees.

 _It wasn't fair... it wasn't fucking fair..._

The feeling of sorrow was so strong that it felt like someone had kicked him in his intestines, making the muscles in his stomach clench painfully.

 _It hurt... it really hurt..._

Natsu gritted his teeth hard against each other and placed his forehead against his arms.

 _So sad... and so tired..._

His head was a maelstrom of thoughts and emotions, that was so overwhelming he wanted to vanish even if it was just for a few minutes.

Tears started streaming down his face, but he barely noticed that. Nope, Natsu just sat there in solitude and despair, until sleep suddenly overwhelmed him, leaving him snoring somewhat peacefully in his position.

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

"Mmm..." grumbling to himself Natsu turned his head to look at Lucy's sleeping body. It took a few seconds but eventually the Dragon Slayer realised where he was.

… _hang on a second..._

He kept glaring at the blonde girl, when he noticed her lack of movement, indicating that she wasn't breathing. Her body was too still, but surely she wasn't...

Panic started to take control of his body as Natsu made his way over to the girl, where he placed his finger on her neck, but there was no sign of her pulse beating.

 _Lifeless and cold... no..._

His eyes widened in fear as he leaned down, trying desperately to hear the sound of her breathing, but she was absolutely silent.

"This can't be..." Natsu started shaking uncontrollably "... no this isn't real"

"It's your fault" the blonde's eyes snapped open all of a sudden revealing orange glistening eyes, making the Dragon Slayer squeal before falling backwards in surprise.

"You did this" Lucy continued.

"I didn't" he shook his head in denial "I didn't do anything!"

"It's your fault, you did this" she repeated all of her body starting to glow, bathing everything in light.

"Please Lucy listen to me... I..." he crawled backwards and away from her, as the girl got up on her feet and took a step in his direction.

"You did this"

"I... no, I..."

"You did this"

For some reason black flames started to spawn and soon it engulfed the girl. It didn't look like it affected her at all, but that made it all the more terrifying, because he knew that it could change at any moment.

Natsu didn't want to hear her scream. Not if it was anything like the painful scream he had heard Igneel make.

It was coming though, he had a foreboding feeling it would, making angst ravage through each fibre of his body.

"Lucy please don't..." the Dragon Slayer pleaded, his breathing starting to become more irregular.

Her mouth opened and for some reason it was as if everything was suddenly in slow motion.

"Natsu... Natsu wake up"

"What?" bewildered he stared at the girl.

"Come on, wake up"

His neck snapped backwards in a quick movement, where Natsu sat blinking for a few seconds. At first he was really confused, but it didn't take long before he realised that he was back in the world of the living.

"Ohhh..." Natsu exhaled a shaking breath and sat panting as he took in his surroundings "... ahh..."

His body was drenched with sweat, making him shiver involuntarily.

The Dragon Slayer didn't know how, but for some reason he was still sitting in a crouched position on the floor, with both arms on top of his knees.

"Are you okay?" Lucy was knelling down next to him, where she sat eyeing him in concern.

"Yeah..." Natsu shook his head contradicting himself "... fine"

"You sure?" she started rubbing his back with her hand, leaving a warm and pleasant trail on his skin.

"... yes?"

"Wanna talk about it?"

"... no?"

Lucy nodded to herself before she sat down next to him and casually placed her arm over his shoulder. The fact that the celestial mage was so bold in her approach kinda shocked Natsu at first, but he tried to shrug it off as nothing more than a friendly gesture. Because sure they hugged each other when the other person was sad and needed comfort, so the gesture itself wasn't a big deal. However it wasn't like he was crying his eyeballs out, so it wasn't like he needed physical comfort at the moment.

 _Or did he?_ Natsu thought, a blush suddenly spawning on his cheeks.

"So uhm..." Lucy blushed as well as she sat staring at the wall "... sure you don't wanna talk about your nightmare?"

"Fine..." he started reluctantly telling her about it, but it didn't take long before he also told her about his other nightmares. How they all seemed to take something from the past, he presumed was from his demon's memories and mix it with current events.

"I'm sorry..." Lucy said in a comforting tone.

"Yeah... " the Dragon Slayer let out a moan before resting his forehead against his arm.

"Well hopefully it'll get better soon"

"Uh-huh..."

None of them said anything, but just sat trying to digest everything. That was until there was a loud growl from the Dragon Slayer's stomach.

"Wanna go get something to eat?" Lucy chuckled as she removed her arm from his shoulder.

"That would be nice, yeah" he nodded and smiled towards her.

And with that they found themselves on their next mission: acquiring food!

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

Since Lucy's fridge was miserably empty, they went out to fetch something to eat. It didn't take long for them to find a decent place and it took even less time for them to consume their food.

When they were done eating they went for a calm and nice walk around town, until they eventually reached the park. Here they bought two cups of ice cream, before they found a nice spot on the grass, where they sat enjoying their dessert.

"This is nice" Lucy said she scooped some ice into her mouth.

"Yeah" Natsu agreed and munched a few spoonfuls, before hungrily wolfing the entire thing.

"... yeah..." her eyebrow twitched mildly annoyed, because the Dragon Slayer's eagerness caused droplets of ice cream to spatter on her dress.

After consuming their ice, they both sat in silence when they spotted a small child and a woman passing by, both of them eating an ice lolly.

The sight made Lucy smile warmly to herself.

"Why are you happy all of a sudden?" Natsu enquired in curiosity.

"I just remembered, that my mama and me used to go for a walk like that in our garden"

"Ohh..." he narrowed his eyes and saw a flash of sadness flickering in her eyes "... well I'm certain your mama was a super nice lady"

"You think so?"

"Hell yeah" he grinned widely revealing his teeth "I mean she liked me, even though I was a shitty brat"

"That's..." her eyes widened briefly before she narrowed them and glared at him in suspicion "... wait"

"What?"

"I suspected you might have when I found the book next to you earlier today, but you actually read it?"

"No! Uh-uh!" he shook his head defiantly.

"How else would you have known, that my mama liked you?"

"Well I..." his mouth was wide open as the realisation hit him "... ohh..."

"You're an idiot!" Lucy clenched her fist and hit his shoulder.

"I'm sorry" Natsu rubbed his neck sheepishly "I know I shouldn't have done that"

"No you shouldn't..." she crossed her arms above her stomach and shot him a piercing glare "... you're really sorry?"

"Yeah..." he sighed in defeat "... I am..."

"Mmm..." Lucy smirked teasingly "... well not as sorry as you will be"

"What are you...?"

The Dragon Slayer was interrupted when he felt Lucy smash into his body, knocking him down on the ground, where he laid motionless from shock, as the celestial mage suddenly placed herself on top of him.

"Uhm..." Natsu blinked before staring at her with huge confused eyes "Luce what are you doing?"

"Nooothing" she sang teasingly.

"Reeeally?"

"Uh-huh..." Lucy snatched a piece of grass and eyed it for a few seconds ".. You know I could punish you in ohh so many ways with this"

"Like how?" he crocked an eyebrow, playing along with her little game or whatever it was she was doing.

"Like I could use this to torture your ear" the celestial mage chuckled and started tickling his ear with the straw, making him squirm and giggle.

"Oooor..." she smirked and stopped the so called torture "... I could punish your nose".

Lucy giggled and started tickling his nose with the straw, earning a large howling laughter from the other mage.

"St-stop it..." Natsu managed to say as he laid squirming on the ground.

"... you sorry?"

"Ye-yeah"

"Good" Lucy nodded and started pulling her arm backwards, but was stopped when Natsu caught her wrist with his hand.

"Now..." he smirked at the girl.

"Now?" Lucy blinked feeling utterly confused.

"Yeah now... the counter attack begins..."

"I... woooh?!"

The celestial mage's eyes widened in surprise, because in a mere second the roles had reversed and now she was the one on the ground.

"Now Luce..." his lips curled backwards into a devious smirk "... I have to punish you too"

"For what?"

There was a flash of sadness in his eyes before he continued "Because you... no it doesn't matter... the point is you deserve it"

"But... why?"

"As I said it doesn't matter. The principal of a counter attack is not asking questions" he curled his fingers for a few seconds, before bringing them down and tickling her rips.

The blonde immediately started squealing and squirming, but since his legs was on both her sides, it was easy for him to keep her in place.

"...s-s-s-sorry..." she managed to stutter making the other mage stop his actions.

"You mean it?"

"Ye-yeah..."

"Good" he nodded to himself and scooted away from her.

It took a few minutes but eventually Lucy gained her composure and sat back up.

"You're an idiot..." she pouted in defiance.

"Likewise!" Natsu smiled brightly before wiggling his tongue teasingly at her.

"So..." Lucy took a deep calming breath "... sure you don't want to tell me, why I deserved punishing?"

"Isn't that obvious" he turned his head to the side, avoiding her eyes.

"No..." she shook her head feeling confused "... so please tell me"

"... you..." the Dragon Slayer started and took a deep shaking breath "... you died again..."

"Ohhh..."

"Yeah..."

"I'm sorry..."

"Why are you apologising, it wasn't your fault..." he sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"No but..."

"Just..." Natsu was suddenly having a flashback in his head causing him to rub his eyes with the palm of his hands "... ugh..."

"I'm here" she said in a soothing voice before engulfing him in a tight hug "I'm right here"

"Yeah..." he sighed before resting his head against her shoulder.

They sat like that for a while, just seeking comfort in each others presence, until someone kindly interrupted them.

"Ohhh..." someone said while rolling with his tongue knowingly "... are you making kittens?"

"Happy" Lucy exclaimed and quickly removed her arms, a blush spread cross her cheeks.

"Aye!" the cat raised his paw in greeting.

"Ey..." the Dragon Slayer quickly wiped his eyes "... what's up?"

"Nothing really..." the cat answered ".. but I found something I totally forgot I stole"

"What?" Lucy asked and watched as the cat started rummaging through his bag.

"This!" the cat held a piece of paper in his paws and offered it to Lucy.

"Ohh..." she mouthed, sounding rather sad.

"What is it?" Natsu asked alerted by her sudden reaction.

Lucy didn't answer him, so he quickly snatched the paper out of her hands, to see what was on it. However he was not prepared for what the image contained, leaving him rather perplexed.

"Is this...?" Natsu said, his eyes darting from the girl, to the cat and then the image.

"Yeah it's you..." Lucy confirmed.

"Wow..." he gulped loudly "... I look kinda awesome don't I?"

"... that's not the issue here..." the celestial mage said, her eyebrow twitching in annoyance.

"Lucy's right" Happy nodded "Why is your arm wrapped around that Kyôka demon?"

"I dunno" he shrugged but flinched on the inside, because he wasn't sure if he wanted to know the background to the picture.

"Maybe... maybe you were an item?" Lucy suggested and smiled sadly.

"No way" Happy shook his head "Natsu is an idiot when it comes to women"

"Oy!" the Dragon Slayer snapped at the cat and unconsciously dropped the picture "I'm totally not!"

"Yes you are!"

"No I'm not!"

Lucy watched as the two kept bickering, but eventually she zoomed out of it because the picture on the ground caught her attention. Not knowing what else to do she crapped the piece of paper and stared at it.

A lot of emotions was ravaging through her leaving her oblivious to anything else. That was until she felt someone suddenly sitting down next to her, making her turn her head to look at whoever it was and to her surprise it was none other than Gray.

"That's a nice piece of art" the ice mage stated as he pointed at the picture.

"Yeah... guess it is..." the blonde answered trying to sound happy, however it didn't go by unnoticed by Gray.

"Cheer up" he smiled and casually placed his arm around her shoulders "We both know he ain't the sort of person who can score a lady, even if he grew some fancy horns"

"Oy, what do you mean by that?!" Natsu said in outrage by the accusation "If I wanted to score I could totally do that!"

"Sure you could" Gray smirked teasingly.

"Nnngh!" The Dragon Slayer growled as he sat squirming and twisting, clearly not comfortable with the situation.

"But..." Lucy narrowed her eyes feeling really sad "... item or not, they were clearly close to each other on some level. But now she's gone..."

"Aww, come on dry your eyes mate" Gray smiled and pulled her closer to his chest "They all knew they would die sooner or later, right?"

"Yeah... I guess" she answered a small blush suddenly spawning on her cheeks, from being so close to Gray's chest.

"Mmm!" Natsu grumbled trying to figure out what to do. As he did he unconsciously started rubbing the markings on his arm.

"Still haven't come to terms with the demon?" Gray asked and eyed the Dragon Slayer's movement carefully.

"Naw... not really" the Dragon Slayer sighed heavily and rubbed his neck.

"Ohh... that's too bad" the ice mage said sincerely.

"Yeah..." Natsu felt a wave of anger suddenly wash over him, making him jump into a standing position, where he stood with his back towards his team. As he did there was a flash of red shinning in his eyes, but none of the others saw that.

"Are you okay?" Lucy asked in concern.

"I'm fine" Natsu grumbled clearly not fine "I'm heading home, so see ya later"

All of them felt baffled by the Dragon Slayer's actions, so they all just sat watching in shock as Natsu waved dismissively with his hand, before he walked away.

"... he's such an idiot..." the ice mage facepalmed himself and removed his arm from Lucy's shoulders.

"Huh? Why would you say that?" the celestial mage blinked because she couldn't follow Gray's logic.

"If you don't know that, then you're an idiot too"

"What?"

"Nevermind... I should get going too anyway..."

And with that Lucy and Happy found themselves abandoned at the park.

As they sat there they noticed Carla walking by herself and Lucy could see how much the blue cat wanted to go to her, but she also knew that Happy was somewhat reluctant to leave her alone.

"It's okay, Happy go meet Carla" the celestial mage encouraged the cat "I'm going home in a minute or so too"

"You sure?" the cat asked, his eyes glistening with happiness.

"Of course" Lucy smiled and patted his head "Now go on before it's too late"

"Aye!"

 _Silly cat_ , she thought to herself with a smile on her lips.

It was nice just sitting there relaxing and enjoying the sun shining down on her.

"Ahh..." Lucy sighed as she laid down on the grass and closed her eyes.

It was so peaceful that she soon reached a state where she was really close to falling asleep.

Lucy didn't know how long she laid there relaxing, but her slumber was suddenly interrupted when she felt someone grabbing her waist.

"Waaah?!" Lucy exclaimed as she felt her body being airborne for a second, before her chest collided with something hard and warm.

"I ain't having it!"

"Na-Natsu?! What...?!"

Apparently he had come back and for some reason he had thrown her over his shoulder.

"I said..." his tone sounded rather impatient ".. I ain't having it"

"Having what?" she turned her head to glare at the back of his head "And why are you carrying me all of a sudden?!"

"Does... does it matter?" there was a hint of sorrow in his voice, so she couldn't bring herself to resist his actions.

"No...?" Lucy exhaled and relaxed as much she could in her position "... guess not"

The celestial mage didn't know what was wrong with the Dragon Slayer all of sudden, but hopefully she would get an answer when they arrived to wherever they were going.

* * *

 **A/N:** Lucy! Gosh darn it girl, what the heck is up with you being so bold? o.O

I'm not sure when the next chapter will be posted, because I got this medicine from the doctor that makes me really, really tired. It's kind of annoying, because it's hard focusing on typing when it feels like I'm more dead than alive -.-'

Anyhow, remember this chapter and how nice it felt, as we start poking our finger into more dangerous and confusing territory. Consider yourself warned ;)

To guest reviewer Whisper: Thank you :) And yes Natsu and Zeref are brothers ^^

To guest reviewer frozem1: Thanks again for your continuing support :)

To guest reviewer Guest: Thank you so much for saying "NaLu is retarded and bad Death to Lucy!". Sincerely thank you, you're my first troll on this website and I'm grateful to know someone wasted their time just to type something so idiotic. So thank you, I appreciate it ^^


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer:** Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima

* * *

 _ **ACT IV: Aftermath – Psychological Wounds**_

 _ **Approximately X793**_

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

 **Chapter 20: Deal with the demon**

Natsu wouldn't deny it, he felt absolutely furious. Why? Well the sight of the ice mage casually resting his arm around Lucy had made him so gosh darn frustrated. Like holy shit, it was like he wanted his demonic side to spawn just so he could unleash his anger. Of course he wouldn't do that towards Gray, after all they were friends so he didn't deserve being pummelled and beaten senseless.

All though... admittedly Natsu secretly wanted that it to happen, mainly because he needed to blow off some steam. Besides his emotions had been all over the place lately, so it would be great focusing on one feeling, because then he might gain just a tiny bit of control of his sporadic mind.

"Uhm... are we there yet?" Lucy asked sounding almost nervous, from her position on his back.

"Ohh.. yeah" Natsu said, even though he had no idea where they were going.

 _Actually... what the heck was he doing?_

Well after stomping away from Gray, Happy and Luce, the Dragon Slayer realised that he had left the three of them all alone. Not that he thought anything would happen between them, but there was still this unreasonable and nagging feeling in his chest that made him feel both sad, but also really angry. To be more specific, then it felt like there was an invisible force which was trying to pull his stomach away into another dimension, leaving an empty and unbearable sadness in it's place.

Natsu didn't know that feeling very well, but he instinctively knew what it was. After all it wasn't like he was born yesterday, even though some might think that.

 _Jealousy..._

Yup, the mighty Dragon Slayer felt something so tedious and silly as jealousy towards his own friend. How stupid was that, huh?

Back to the present, Natsu was still walking aimlessly around carrying Lucy, until they eventually left the city and reached a huge grass field, that stretched out further than the eyes could see.

"Uhm... this is it" Natsu said trying to sound confident.

"Ohh... kay?" Lucy said in a sceptic tone.

"Ye-yeah!" his voice shook because he felt somewhat disheartened, about what to do next.

"So?" she said sounding mildly angry.

"So?" Natsu gulped loudly, fearing she had caught on to his intentions already.

 _Or lack thereof... idiot..._

"Are you gonna let me down or not?"

"Ahh, yeah right sorry" his cheeks blushed for a second as he gently placed her on the ground.

Lucy didn't say anything, but stood perfectly still as she started turning her head to take in their surroundings.

"Uhm..." the Dragon Slayer rubbed his neck sheepishly and looked at the sky "... so this is a grass field"

"I can see that" the blonde raised her eyebrow "Don't tell me you brought me here just to tell me that?"

"Well uhm d'uuhh of course not" he bit his lip for a second in thought.

"Then tell me why?" Lucy crossed her arms above her stomach.

"Obviously I..." Natsu turned his head frantically hoping to get an idea "... oh yeah!"

"Oh yeah?"

"I wanted to ask for some advice for when I'm meditating!" the Dragon Slayer nodded eagerly before slamming a clenched fist against his other hand.

"You've actually been doing that?" Lucy asked in surprise.

"Uh-huh" he said and avoided looking in her direction, hoping she didn't catch his lie "Of course"

"That's... good" Lucy smiled sadly and rubbed her arm "I just thought..." she sighed heavily and closed her eyes.

"Thought what?" he blinked feeling confused.

"Nevermind..." she opened her eyes and looked to the side, obviously avoiding looking in his direction.

"Come on, please tell me?" Natsu pleaded deeply hating to see the depressing aura that was suddenly surrounding the girl.

"Well I just thought..." she took a deep breath before shaking her head "No, forget it I'm just being selfish"

"Why would you say that?" the Dragon Slayer asked feeling really confused.

Lucy didn't say anything but faked a happy smile as she looked at him "It doesn't matter honestly. If you want to meditate alone, then that's fine"

"But I don't want to..." his eyes widened when he realised why she was sad. Because sure what he just told her, or well lied, was that he had been meditating alone. And why would Lucy be sad about that? Well because he had momentarily forgotten about their arrangement, about turning the meditating thing into an event. Which was kinda unforgivable, because Lucy had been super generous when she made the offer, knowing fully well that food and her help would be a brilliant motivational factor for him.

Furthermore she had been asking him frequently if he wanted to give it another shot, but Natsu always rubbed it off telling her they could do it another time.

 _He was such a douche bag! No wonder she looked wounded.. well there was nothing else to do than suck it up and remove the imaginary knife from her back._

"Look I'm sorry Luce" he exhaled a shaking breath and ruffled his hair with his hand "I... kinda lied about meditating alone"

"You did?" the blonde momentarily lit up before she narrowed her eyes in suspicion "Why would you lie about that?"

"Because I..." his mind blanked all of a sudden, trying to figure out how to explain his actions without sounding like a complete idiot.

"Come on, there's no reason to be embarrassed, you can tell me" the blonde encouraged him..

"Fine!" Natsu groaned in defeat "It was because I didn't have a reason to bring you here all right?"

"You didn't?" she asked sounding rather surprised by his direct answer.

"No..."

"Then why?"

"Because... reasons!" he waved with his hands above his head, hoping she wouldn't want to deliberate his answer.

"Reasons?"

"Mooh..." Natsu shook his head "... anyway, since I've got you on my own, you wanna go do the meditating thing?"

"Ohh well sure" Lucy nodded happily.

"Neat! Let's go then"

 _Phew, dodged the bullet there,_ Natsu thought to himself as they made their way to the lake that was closest to their location.

Honestly though, the Dragon Slayer felt really happy that he managed to avoid answering her question, because he didn't want to tell the girl that his behaviour was based on something as stupid as jealousy. Nope he would never admit that out loud, even if Elfman would tell him that owning up to your feelings is manly.

It didn't take long before they reached their location, where they silently sat down cross legged across from each other. Like the last time Lucy guided him until he was once more staring at his own glistening soul, that was shining in multiple and bright colours.

This time it didn't take long before the black flames once more spawned around his soul, but they weren't as potent our viscous as they had been the last time he saw it.

Natsu was just observing his soul, when he heard a demonic and high-pitched laughter, that echoed throughout his mind until it suddenly stopped. The emptiness that followed was almost terrifying because it forebode something ominous was about to happen. Actually he could feel it all over his body, almost as if all of his veins was being infused with acid, making all of his cells tingle and burn.

"I thought I had taken enough precautions to keep you away..." a demonic voice snarled "But evidently I'll have to hurt you too"

Natsu flinched as a ripple of pain rushed through his system, making it hard to breathe for some reason.

"Why...?" he asked feeling really confused.

"Because this isn't the time nor the place..." the demon snarled in a tone that was dripping with malice "... not when she's here"

"... what?"

"I'll make you see... yes..."

The black fire suddenly increased in volume, this time however he could feel it spreading through his body, burning every inch of him from the inside. As it did an unnatural form of madness and anger was unleashed making him panic momentarily, because it was too overwhelming to fight.

 _It hurt... it physically hurt like nothing he had ever felt before..._

Natsu could hear a devastating and heart piercing scream all of a sudden, making his ears ring from the sheer volume of it.

"Stop it..." he heard his own voice saying both in his mind but also with his physical body.

"Make me" the air in his mind started to shimmer before a faint orange light appeared and formed the contours of his demonic personality.

"Like hell I'll make you!"

A growl formed in Natsu's throat as he launched himself towards the glistening demon, who started laughing uncontrollably. The laughing didn't stop when the Dragon Slayer's fist went straight through the demon, making the orange light spread out, before dissolving and vanishing.

"What?" he wondered because when the demon evaporated so did the pain rummaging through his body. At the same time he heard the sound of someone else screaming in terror and the sound was way too recognisable, that it sent a shiver down his spine.

 _Lucy.._. Natsu thought before he felt himself being eradicated from his mind. It was like a hook had gotten a hold of him, before it pulled him back into the physical world, where he quickly opened his eyes feeling rather confused.

"The heck..." the Dragon Slayer blinked and felt how his body was drenched in sweat, while all of his muscles was prickling in a weird way. Actually it kinda felt like he had just been electrocuted with extremely high voltages.

 _Fucking weird..._ the Dragon Slayer thought and took a deep breath to calm himself, before taking in his surroundings.

"What...?" he whispered feeling perplexed, because evidently he was crouching on his hands and knees, while Lucy was lying directly underneath him. Which essentially meant he was hovering above her shivering body.

 _How the heck did he get into that position?_ Natsu wondered before turning his head to stare at his right hand. To his surprise his markings was glowing and there was tiny black sparks glistening from his clenched hand. The worst part though, was seeing how the ground underneath his hand, was cracked and crumbling into tiny pebbles, clearly indicating he had smashed it unconsciously.

"No..." feeling horror struck Natsu's eyes widened as he turned his head to look at Lucy's head, that was mere centimetres away from where he had hit the ground.

He heard her scream... in his mind she had sounded so terrified about something.

 _Damn..._ Natsu gulped loudly, his mouth suddenly feeling really dry as a droplet of sweat fell from his forehead, before landing on Lucy's cheek.

"Are...?" the blonde said, her voice shivering "... are you okay?"

"Ye... yeah..." he answered and felt another droplet of sweat roll down his nose before dripping down on Lucy. None of them paid it any attention though, especially Natsu who quickly turned his head to look at his markings, because it seemed like the glow on them was starting to vanish.

"Luce... what...?" he asked in a low tone "... what happened?"

"Uhm..." the blonde bit her lips clearly struggling with her answer "... you..."

"Yeah?" the Dragon Slayer turned his head and stared down at Lucy who was avoiding looking in his direction.

"You were clearly hurting physically, so I tried waking you by shaking your shoulders" she sighed heavily and placed a clenched hand above her chest "then you started screaming all of a sudden..."

"Ohh..." Natsu mouthed and quickly realised that the first scream he had heard in his mind was himself.

"Then before I had time to react your markings started to glow, before you pushed me down on the ground and..." Lucy chuckled sounding nervous "... you clenched your fist clearly wanting to hit something, but fortunately I managed to dodge it in time"

"I... I'm sorry" Natsu shook his head feeling absolutely horrified, that he hadn't been in control of his own body and had been way too close in hitting Lucy's head. Yeah sure fortunately the celestial mage's quick reflexes had saved both of them from adding more unintended suffering to their wounds, but it was still a pretty dreadful situation. Especially because this might mean he would have to handle the demon on his own, because that was the only solution to avoid a similar situation. Sure he didn't want to do it alone, but then again if that was what it took then that was what he would do. After all Natsu would rather confront the demon alone, if the meditation meant his body unconsciously got physical and destructive.

"It's okay..." Lucy smiled warmly obviously trying to comfort him.

"Tsch!" Natsu snorted and gritted his teeth firmly against each other, not wanting to give in to the overwhelming mixture of emotions that was ravaging through his system.

"Please... don't worry about it, after all nothing happened" Lucy said in a caring and reassuring voice.

"Bullshit..." he shook his head in denial before leaning forwards to rest his forehead against hers.

"It's not" the blonde exhaled a shaking breath "Besides none of us really knew what would happen once you started meditating, so we couldn't prevent it from happening"

Natsu didn't know what to say to that so he kept his thoughts to himself.

"This... this isn't like you, you know" Lucy continued "I mean shouldn't you use this as motivation to be even better next time?"

Still not knowing what to say the Dragon Slayer kept his mouth shut.

"And you know what?" the blonde smiled before placing her hand on his shoulder "I'll be beside you all the way, you're not fighting this on your own"

Honest to god it felt like someone hit him in his stomach, when he heard her say that. Not in a bad way, it was more like his intestines was exploding in a ray of happiness and bubbles.

"Thank you..." Natsu whispered in a low voice.

"You're welcome"

"Yeah..." he chuckled in a sad tone, feeling really bold all of a sudden. Honest to god, fingers crossed and all that shit, he had no idea what he was about to do. All Natsu knew was he wanted to show his gratitude and for some reason hugging her wasn't enough. No, he had to do something more unique, that truly showed his gratitude.

 _But hey to hell with logic anyway, because he did whatever he wanted!_

So with that in mind he moved his head upwards, before he very gently pressed his lips against her forehead. Natsu only lingered there for a second to take a deep breath, before he leaned backwards making him hover above the blushing celestial mage.

"So..." he smiled a toothy grin a small blush suddenly spawning on his cheeks.

"S-so?" Lucy stuttered clearly perplexed about the situation.

"We just finished a session, so that means it's time for food!"

"I... ohh... right"

"Neat!" the Dragon Slayer nodded to himself feeling somewhat rejuvenated all of a sudden, as he jumped up on to his feet, where he clenched his fists in determination.

"Uh-huh..." Lucy chuckled and got into a standing position as well.

"Yosh, let's go!" Natsu smile widened before he grabbed Lucy's hand and dragged her along towards the city.

No matter what would happen, it would all turn up fine in the end, because they had each others back, right?

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

Natsu and Lucy had an amazing day, after the whole meditating business. First they went to grab something to eat, before they decided to go to the guild to see if something entertaining was happening. Well knowing their guild it couldn't be totally boring and even if it was, they could always start their own party. Fortunately it wasn't boring and soon they found themselves talking to their mates, Natsu occasionally getting into a brawl with different individuals.

"What a day..." the Dragon Slayer said while stretching his arms above his head as he entered his home.

Honest to god he felt so exhausted and tired, that the prospect of sleep was almost welcoming, even though it was highly plausible he would suffer from nightmares.

A yawn spawned all of a sudden making his jaw crack.

"Mmm..." Natsu smacked with his tongue inside his mouth, before he lazily stripped leaving a trail of clothes on the floor until he eventually reached his bed.

Another yawn spawned this time tears spawned in the corner of his eyes, but he ignored that as he ducked underneath his blanket.

"Ahhh" the Dragon Slayer sighed loudly before closing his eyes, welcoming sleep to take over. It didn't take more than a few seconds before he was snoring loudly, his mind drowned in darkness and nothing else. It was rather nice not dreaming about anything, but unfortunately his peaceful state was suddenly interrupted when Natsu felt a presence filled with malice enter his domain.

"You..." a low snarling voice said from somewhere in the darkness and before the Dragon Slayer knew it, he was in the same spot of his mind he entered when he had been meditating, his spirit glistening unaffected in various colours.

"What...?" bewildered Natsu watched as a few droplets in a crimson colour suddenly started to fall down from above, landing and creating a small puddle next to his own pure soul.

It looked suspiciously a lot like blood that started to vibrate before it started shining in a bright orange colour. The colour was pleasant and inviting as it started to shine more brightly, before the droplets of what looked like blood started to levitate and spin until it started taking the form of a ball. Once it was formed the orange light seemed to grow around the ball, until it was a massive and huge ball the same size as his own soul. When it looked like the sphere looking thing was finished evolving, the red ball started moving making it look like it was an independent liquid that was swimming around in the orange mass.

It was actually pretty weird, because the ball looked so steady and firm when he compared it to his own vivid, radiating essence that was right next to it.

"Stubborn one aren't ya" the ball seemed to speak all of a sudden in a low voice.

"What..?"

"Why do you so desperately seek the past, when you don't want to acknowledge what happened? Isn't that contradicting and cynical?"

"Where are you?"

"You know where the heck I am" the ball snarled in anger "I'm where I've always been, you've just been ignorant and failed to see me. After all I've always been inside of you"

"What do you mean?"

"You've got to be kidding me, how can you be sooo fucking stupid" the voice spat impatiently "I've always been a part of you, even if most of me was sealed away in that stupid book Zeref created"

"No you haven't" doubt but also fear started rummaging through his system.

"Yeah I have" the demonic voice chuckled wickedly "And you know that deep down"

"Nuhh-uhh..." still being in denial and horror struck, Natsu suddenly felt cold sweat trickling down his forehead.

"Remember how you felt when someone threatened something precious to you? All the times you had to protect something, when immoral or injustice things happened? You remember that intense angry feeling that seemed to consume you and fuel your fire?" the voice laughed mockingly.

"But..." the Dragon Slayer felt an unpleasant shiver run down his spine.

"Yeah, that was me... in times like that your eyes would shine in a red colour, but maybe you didn't notice that?"

"Well no" Natsu snorted in defiance "It's not like I'm carrying a mirror with me"

"Let me give you some examples then... one of the times it happened was when Lucy from the future died and you cried your eyeballs out, swearing you would protect her future. Another was back when you fought against Zancrow. Ohh and then there's the time you fought against Jellal "

"I..." the Dragon Slayer gulped not sure what to say, because when he thought about it, at those times he had given into the overwhelming feelings. It wasn't 100 percent, but it was enough to make him feel like he had lost a huge part of rationality, before becoming more animalistic. Of course he had always explained this, by being more committed to his instincts than others, but the possibility that it was his demonic nature was sounding rather plausible.

"You're starting to get it now..."

"But... how?"

"It's simple really and you said it yourself. I'm you and you're me"

"Yeah, but I still don't get it"

"Mmm... well we both originated from the same source. The only thing different is I'm you in the past, you're me in the present. To put it more simply it's like you're having a split personality"

"I... see...?"

"No you don't" the demon made a sighing sound "Jeez, sometimes I wonder if I even want to acknowledge you. Like seriously how can my intellect drop to such a level, I revert into being an idiot?"

"Oy, I'm not an idiot! And besides I would rather be stupid than insane like you!"

"Ohh but it comes with the territory" the demon chuckled "In order to keep the curse in check, I had to figure out a method to suppress it so it didn't go off in... mmm... delicate situations"

"So you're saying I'll go insane too?" he asked not liking that idea at all.

"Not necessarily, no... I guess you could try to use other methods to keep it in check"

"Okay... so... how do I accept the past?"

"You really sure you're ready for this?"

"I have to be" Natsu said in a confident tone "There's another war coming and I need to be in control for when it happens"

There was a long pause before the demon eventually spoke "Alright, I'll show you"

"Really?!" Natsu said in excitement feeling relieved he didn't have to beg or do something really embarrassing to get the demon's consent.

"Uh-huh..." the contours of the demon spawned in the same glistening orange light as it had the last time Natsu saw him "... as you might have noticed there's this huge ball behind me, right?"

"Well yeah it's kinda hard to avoid"

"That's essentially me, or your past to be more correct. Last time you were here you tried to connect with it, but it resulted in black flames trying to consume your soul, remember that?"

"I do"

"Back then you were with the blonde chick, so I didn't want to come into contact with you. That's why I used the flames as a barrier, hindering you to enter this place. You understand why I did that don't you?"

"Well yeah... wait a second that reminds me, I need to kick your butt for making me almost hit Lucy" Natsu growled in anger.

"I did it for your own damn good!" the demon snapped back "Who knows what you might do to her, once we really get started with this? Actually scratch that, with your strength it's highly likely that you would kill her without knowing so, and you don't want that now do you?"

"Well no, obviously not"

"Great! I'm glad that's settled then" the demon snorted impatiently "Now let's get down to it shall we? Essentially we need the ball to unite with your spirit over there" the demon pointed at the essence of his soul "We need to do this one small step at the time for you to regain your memory, so it isn't too overwhelming because that might actually destroy your mind"

"We'll just make sure not to do that then" Natsu said eager to get started "So! When I remember everything I can control the demonic power?"

"You don't have to remember it no, but it would be for the best since it'll be easier for you to control the curse"

"Neat..." he thought this over for a second "... you know for being the most evil demon ever created, you're awfully helpful"

"Hm?" the demon blinked looking mildly astonished "Why wouldn't I be? I mean it's for the best for both of us if we're united"

"I... see... but hey, how do I get the curse without the... remembering things? I mean I kinda need the power if the war suddenly unfolds"

"Well let's make a deal" the demon smirked "I'll give you one of your memories back and after that I'll show you how it works, kay?"

"Do I have to?" Natsu groaned suddenly feeling like he was Erza's student again.

"You have to get started with it sooner or later anyway" the demon shrugged lazily.

"Fine! What you want me to do?" he said suddenly dreading what was about to happen.

"Excellent!" his opponent smiled wickedly before turning around on his heels, before walking over to the orange sphere. Once it was there he used his claw like hand to rummage inside the orange ball. After a while it seemed like his demonic self finally found what he was searching for and pulled his hand out of the ball. In it was something that looked like liquid gold.

"This..." the demon raised his hand making it easier for Natsu to see what it was "... is a memory from the past. In order for it to work effortlessly you need to willingly drink the substance. After that you'll relieve the memory as it happened"

"So I have to relieve everything you did and... wait..." Natsu said feeling sceptic "wouldn't that mean I'll have to relive everything that happened when I was you? I mean do I have to remember stupid stuff like taking a dumb and shit like that?"

"No, you just have to relieve the most important parts. Our most valuable memories" the demon answered and stepped closer to him.

"Wait!" the Dragon Slayer yelled making his opponent stop "How am I supposed to drink it? I mean I'm not really here am I?"

"Ahh I see why that might pose a problem now" the demon sighed heavily before continuing "You can't see it yourself but right now you're a floating ball, but I guess you need to change form. Okay I want you to focus on your body. Feel how your spirit is in every fibre and every muscle of yourself"

Not really sure why that would help Natsu did what he was told. As he did small glistening droplets started coming over to him from his multicoloured spirit. Once they reached him they started forming into something that looked a lot like the contours of his own body. It was a faint almost invisible form, but it was there and glistening in various colours.

"Neat..." Natsu muttered as he looked down at his hand, which he started opening and closing to try his bodily functions.

"Now with that out of the way, it's time for you to drink this" the demon said and a second later he was right in front of the Dragon Slayer.

"Hold on a second I ain't drinking from your claw!" Natsu shook his head and waved with his hands dismissively in front of him.

"Ohh yes you are" his opponent said and in a swift movement the demon grabbed his Natsu's hair, joinking his head backwards thereby earning a painful yell from the Dragon Slayer. As the sound escaped from Natsu the demon used this as an opportunity to pour down the liquid into the Dragon Slayer's mouth. Once that was over with the demon removed his claw like hand from Natsu's hair, almost making the pink haired kid fall backwards from the lack of pressure.

Feeling thoroughly pissed by being assaulted like that, Natsu would be more than happy to deliver a punch to the demon's face. Or well that was until he sank the liquid and immediately felt how it started to burn in his throat and down to his stomach as it went down.

"Ugh!"Natsu groaned in pain and grabbed his neck with both of his hands, feeling an unpleasant heat starting to spread from his throat and stomach throughout his body.

It was really agonising, making him feel like each and every part of him was being shred into tiny pieces. As the pain seemed to intensify saliva started to stream down his chin, before he felt his knees buckle underneath him.

"... stop... it..." Natsu managed to say, but he didn't receive an answer.

His head was starting to throb too, making the pain spread at a fast pace through every cell in his brain. In all honesty Natsu wouldn't be surprised if he was bleeding and suffering from internal wounds.

A scream escaped his mouth as he started smashing his hands against the ground, because the pain was starting to reach a level, where he felt like he had to do something, anything really to try and avert his attention from the agonising pain.

It didn't help... no... it just seemed to worsen for each second that passed by, until something inside of him seemed to snap and when it did, he suddenly found himself being pulled away into a pool of darkness.

* * *

 **A/N:** Yeah Natsu is talking to himself – He's crazy ;)

I changed the rating for this story because I realised it contains a lot of angst/gore. However that doesn't mean there'll suddenly be lemons. I'm not a lemon girl o.o

With that said, I hope you enjoyed the cute moment because there won't be anything romantic in a while. Why not? Well because we're really close to entering the next act/arc XD

So yeah! Get ready to get your hearts broken in the next chapter. It's a sappy one, like for reals y'all!

Have a good one out there *heart sign*


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer:** Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima

* * *

 _ **ACT IV: Aftermath – Psychological Wounds**_

 _ **400 years ago ~ Approximately X360**_

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

 **Chapter 21: Brothers**

"Natsu!"

He heard someone suddenly calling his name, but the sound was somewhat muffled, almost as if he had cotton in his ears. Speaking of his bodily functions, it was rather hard to breathe and for some reason the smell of milk was very dominant.

Suddenly Natsu felt his head being pulled backwards where he sat blinking, his vision blurry for some reason.

 _What the heck was going on?_

"Huh?" Natsu mouthed feeling thoroughly confused, because it didn't feel like it was him that spoke and yet again it did.

"You almost drowned in your cereal again!" the voice spoke again in anxiety "Please be more careful"

"S-sorry..." he stuttered and felt a piece of cereal fall out of his nose, before it splashed into the bowl underneath him. For some reason Natsu suddenly felt really sad and a second later fat tears was rolling down his cheeks in a steady stream.

The other person groaned loudly "It's okay, don't cry"

"Waaaah!"

 _Why the heck was he crying so freakishly much all of a sudden and why couldn't he control his body? It was really weird._

"Natsu please don't cry" a black haired boy came into his blurry vision "I'm sorry I yelled at you"

"Ahh... ahh..." he sniffled profoundly feeling the combination of snot and milk gliding down his throat.

"Just be more careful, okay?" the other boy started rubbing his back.

"Uh-huh..." Natsu rubbed his eyes before turning to glare at the other kid.

 _Wait a second wasn't that Zeref? Why was he a kid? Now that he thought about it, why did it feel like his own body had become really small too?_

It was all so gosh darn confusing. Unless of course this was what the demon meant, when he said Natsu had to relive his memories. Which meant... he was a kid too? Well that would explain why he felt so emotional and small.

"Mooh, you've got milk all over your face" Zeref sounded mildly impatient before he fetched a cloth and started rubbing it all over Natsu's face.

"Nooo..." he started fidgeting, feeling really annoyed about his brother "... ngh!"

"Sit still, you can't have milk all over your face when we go outside"

"Mmmf..." the pink haired kid pouted in defiance but sat still, as the other mage washed his face.

It didn't take long before Zeref was satisfied, making Natsu exhale in relief because he utterly hated it when his brother cleaned him.

"You ready to go?" Zeref asked with a smile "You been on the toilet and done your business?"

"Uh-huh..." he nodded before turning his head to stare at the bowl of cereal, feeling sad again.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't wanna..." Natsu whispered as a mental image of himself being dragged around the city begging various people for scraps or offering their help in exchange for food entered his mind.

"I know you don't" the other mage said before ruffling Natsu's hair "But we have to or else we won't get anything to eat"

"... hate it..."

"Yeah me too"

"When..." he turned to look at Zeref "... mum and dad...?"

"Please stop asking about them" the black haired kid sighed heavily "I don't know when they'll be back"

"Ohh..." Natsu's lips started to tremble as he swung his legs back and forth on his chair "... sorry"

 _Wait no ask more about our parents! I want to know!_

"It's okay" Zeref nodded "now if you're ready go fetch your jacket, it's raining outside"

"... kay..." Natsu muttered in defeat as he ran out to fetch said item and tried putting it on, but for some reason he was struggling to do that with his tiny arms.

 _Jeez, how young was he in this memory?_ Natsu felt annoyed, that his body couldn't seem to figure out how to do something as simple as put a jacket on.

"Need help?" Zeref asked with a wide smile.

"Naah-ahh... can... do it..." he pouted and tried once more to get it on but failed miserably.

A sigh escaped the dark haired kid, as he gently guided Natsu's arms in the right direction until the jacket was wrapped around his body. Once that was done the other mage started buttoning Natsu's jacket, before raising a hoodie that would shield his pink hair from the rain once they got outside.

"Thanks..." Natsu muttered in a low voice.

"You're welcome" Zeref said before fetching his own jacket and putting it on.

"Mmm..." the Dragon Slayer turned his head only to find himself staring at a rather old looking mirror on the wall.

 _Hold on a minute,_ Natsu thought to himself as he glared at his own image, _how young am I again?!_

His body was incredible small and it looked like he wasn't more than 3 maybe 4 years old.

"Let's go" Zeref said and stretched out his hand, encouraging Natsu to take it which he did without hesitation. Or well on the inside the Dragon Slayer flinched, feeling rather uncomfortable that he was holding hands with Zeref of all people.

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

The two brothers walked the streets all day, begging different people for whatever they had and fortunately a lot of people had sympathy with them, especially because they knew that the two of them were all alone. Their parents had vanished all of a sudden after being on a mission and a lot of them suspected them to be dead. Besides it was a small community so they had to take care of the two children, even if they couldn't offer a lot. But what they had they gladly gave, especially if the kids did some minor chores in return. It wasn't much but it was sufficient for the kids to survive.

On this day the two boys found themselves on top of a roof, trying their best to repair the holes in it to prevent the rain from pouring inside the house. They had been doing it for hours and honestly Natsu was getting really tired and hungry. His misery increased even more because the rain had soaked his clothes making him freeze all the way into the marrow of his bones. Or at least that's how it felt like.

 _Seriously who in their right mind would put a three year old kid to do this kind of work_ , Natsu thought to himself feeling thoroughly annoyed. Well at least they had secured him with a rope so he didn't fall to his certain death if he stumbled.

"I wanna go home..." he said in a gloomy voice thereby earning his brother's attention.

"Only one more okay?"

"Kay..." his nose started tickling and a second later a sneeze escaped his mouth.

"Bless you"

"Thanks..." Natsu snorted and used his sleeve to wipe his nose, leaving a trail of snot on his jacket.

Fortunately it didn't take long before they finished their chore and received their reward, before they could finally go home. When they got there Natsu lazily removed his wet jacket and let it drop on the floor.

His body was exhausted and cold, making him stand paralysed in his position just staring into thin air. As he stood there another sneeze escaped his body, sending snot and saliva flying in all directions.

"Don't just stand there, go get on some clean clothes before you catch a cold" Zeref said before he went to the kitchen with the food they had earned.

"Uh-huh..." Natsu said before strolling into what he assumed was his own bedroom, where he went straight to a cabinet where he found a nice clean set of clothes he rather slowly got into, because his hands was shaking so freakishly much from feeling cold.

 _Which was mildly annoying,_ the Dragon Slayer thought impatiently.

Natsu heard someone knocking on the door all of a sudden, but since he still wasn't fully clothed he just listened as his brother opened the door. However it didn't take long before the pink haired kid was finished with his task, making him sneak quietly over to the entrance. In the doorway stood a huge military looking man, with a huge moustache. For some reason the man frightened Natsu, so he quickly hid himself by crouching down next to a huge bookcase, his head peeking out so he could follow the two of them with his eyes.

"You have a message to deliver?" Zeref asked the man in a confused tone.

"Indeed" the man coughed, making the black haired kid flinch.

"Ohh uhm, if you want to come in then...?"

"No need" the military looking man coughed again, before glaring at Zeref with a hint of sympathy shining in his eyes "I regret to tell you this, but your mom and dad..." the man bit his bottom lip before continuing "... they're dead"

"What?" Zeref asked his eyes widening in horror "No..."

"Sorry kid..." the unknown man shook his head "... they got to close to the war that's been raging in the east. Your parents... was killed because they were mistaken as enemies"

"... no..." Natsu whispered to himself as his body started to shake uncontrollably from sorrow and shock.

 _Ohh shit, that's harsh..._

"Tsch!" Zeref spat sounding both angry but also sad "Stupid, irresponsible parents..."

"They..." Natsu said feeling his own temper rising from the injustice of it all "They're not stupid!"

He roared before stomping over to his brother, tears glistening in the corner of his eyes.

"You... you heard...?" Zeref started before he was rudely interrupted by a tiny clenched fist that hit his stomach, resulting in the air getting knocked out of the older brother.

"They're not!" Natsu yelled again and watched as Zeref crouched forwards from the hit he had taken.

"No!" the pink haired kid stomped with his foot as tears started streaming down his face.

His feelings was too overwhelming, so not sure what else to do he ran to the door and leaped outside, ignoring that Zeref was calling for him.

Once Natsu started running he couldn't stop. No, he ran down the streets ignoring how his dry clothes immediately got soaking wet again, plastering uncomfortably to his body.

 _It's cold_ , he thought to himself and felt a shiver run down his spine. Once again snot was leaving his nose, but this time he didn't remove it, but let it flow just like his tears was running down his face.

 _Kid what the heck are you doing?_ Natsu thought in his mind with a hint of sadness _I know you're heartbroken but please, this is... just stupid._

Of course his past self couldn't hear him, so he kept running until something on the ground caught his foot, making him stumble before falling and landing flat on his face.

"Ouch..." he said and gritted his teeth hard against each other.

His body was so exhausted and cold, that it felt too hard to get back up from where he had fallen.

"Mom... dad..." his voice cracked painfully as he gave up and laid alone on the street bawling and crying like there was no tomorrow.

Unfortunately for Natsu nobody came to pick him up for awhile. It was already late so people were home doing their own business, ignorant to the crying kid.

After a while the tiny kid felt himself drift away into a dreamless sleep. Natsu didn't know how long he laid like that, before he heard someone calling his name.

"Nnn..." Natsu groaned before he felt himself being lifted from the ground.

"Let's go home..." he heard Zeref say, from somewhere above him.

Not answering Natsu felt himself drift away again and before long he was snoring peacefully in his brother's arms.

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

When Natsu woke he found himself in a huge bed covered with lots of blankets.

"Mmm..." he blinked before turning to look around the room. It didn't take long before he spotted Zeref who was wrapped in a blanket and leaning against the bed, evidently sleeping.

His body felt weak and his throat felt really sore for some reason, making him cough to try and remove the thing that seemed to be irritating it, but it quickly turned into a fit, making his throat rattle with slime.

"You..." his brother woke immediately and started stroking Natsu's back. Once the coughing finally stopped the pink haired kid laid heavily breathing through his mouth, with pearls of sweat forming on his forehead, his body shaking uncontrollably.

 _It felt freakishly weird,_ the Dragon Slayer thought in his mind, when he suddenly felt a cold hand being placed on his forehead.

"You're having a fever..." Zeref said his voice filled with concern "... hang on I'll go fetch the doctor, so just relax okay?"

"Kay..." he muttered and dragged the blanket closer to himself and soon he found himself falling asleep again.

It didn't take long before his brother came back, with an old man following close behind him. The man was obviously the doctor, who immediately started to examine Natsu. After doing that the doctor reached the conclusion that the pink haired kid was suffering from a common cold, which they couldn't do anything about, other than wait for it to go away by itself.

As the doctor walked out of the door, everything seemed to blur before things suddenly seemed to go quicker, almost as if someone had put all the events that was about to happen on fast forward. It was really weird but the Dragon Slayer didn't question it, because all he really did in the memory was sleep and from the looks of it, things wasn't getting better.

 _On the contrary..._

When time was flowing at a normal rate again Natsu found himself coughing into his hands, his lungs rattling even more with slime. When it eventually stopped he sat wheezing trying his best to get a sufficient amount of air to enter his body.

"I..." he started, his mouth feeling really dry all of a sudden.

"You want something?" Zeref asked from beside him, his hand stroking the pink haired kid's back.

"Wa... ter..."

"Sure thing" a glass of water was suddenly in front of him, but his arms felt too weak to lift it all by himself. Evidently his brother knew this as he raised the glass and pressed it against Natsu's lips, making the water pour into his mouth. When he was content Natsu nodded his head making Zeref remove the glass.

"Are you hungry?" the dark haired kid asked.

"No... I need to pee..."

"Want help with that?"

"No..." he shook his head and slowly got out of bed, before strolling over to the bathroom.

 _Holy shit what happened to his body? He felt so weak_ , Natsu thought feeling concerned about the situation.

It didn't take long for the pink haired kid to finish his business, before he went over to the sink to wash his hands. As he did he looked up and into the mirror

 _Shit,_ the Dragon Slayer thought feeling horror struck when he took in his facial features.

His skin was incredibly pale and it was evident he had lost a lot of weight, because his cheekbones was clearly standing out on his tiny face. Other than that he had huge and dark bags underneath his eyes making him look like a living skeleton.

It was so unnatural seeing his childish version looking like that it made the Dragon Slayer feel really uncomfortable.

Fortunately or unfortunately his body once more was sent into a fit of coughs. The outburst was so strong, his knees buckled underneath him making him sit on the floor, coughing into his hands.

Natsu heard Zeref shouting before his older brother was behind him and started to stroking his back again, until the fit eventually stopped. Once it did Natsu noticed there was something sticky on his hands, which he turned to look at and to his surprise it wasn't slime. No the red colour quickly made him realise what it was, before his hands started shaking uncontrollably.

"I'm sorry..." Natsu shook his head before he started crying, feeling scared but also really sad.

"No..." Zeref quickly used some cloth to clean his brother's hands before he scooped the tiny kid into his arms, before placing him on the bed and storming out of the house. It didn't take long before the older brother returned with the doctor who did his job of investigating the kid. Once that was done the old man let out a heavy sigh before getting into a standing position.

"He... he's gonna be fine right?" Zeref asked his voice filled with concern.

"Come with me..." the doctor said and motioned for the dark haired kid to follow him into another room.

Natsu couldn't hear what they said but evidently it wasn't good, because his brother was shouting. Normally he could hear what it was, but it was all so muffled as he started drifting off reaching a drowsy state. As he laid there Natsu suddenly heard a door being slammed before Zeref came storming into the room again.

"I..." Zeref stopped at the door where he stood staring, his eyes looking haunted and scared.

"What's wrong?" Natsu asked, but didn't receive an answer. Instead his brother walked over to him and a second later engulfed the pink haired kid in tight hug.

"Big bro?" Natsu tried again in a fragile voice, when he noticed that Zeref was shivering "Are you okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine..." he sniffled his voice trembling with sorrow.

"You sure? Can I help?"

A chuckle escaped the other mage as he placed his forehead against Natsu's "No..."

"Kay?" blinking he was surprised to see tears rolling down his brother's face "You're sad, why?"

"I..." he took a deep breath "I need you be strong from now on okay? Can you do that for me?"

"Uh-huh"

"Good..."

 _No... please god no_ , the Dragon Slayer thought as time seemed to fasten again, until he once more found himself laying on the bed struggling to breathe.

His body felt so tired and exhausted as he laid there, while Zeref was removing some stray hairs that was sticking to his sweaty face. Natsu could feel the gesture against his skin, but he couldn't move. No, his body was so close to the edge that he could feel how his heart was starting to beat unnaturally slow in his chest, while his breathing was becoming frighteningly shallow.

Zeref was saying something to him, but he couldn't make out the words. No it was like everything around him was muffled. Even his own mind seemed to be a big blurry pool making it hard to think straight.

 _No... please I don't want to experience this!_ The Dragon Slayer shouted in his mind as he felt his heartbeat slowing down even further.

 _Please anything but this!_ Horror struck, he felt how his heart gradually became weaker, until he could barely feel it.

…...

He wanted to fight it! To stop it from happening, but he couldn't do anything.

When it seemed like his heart was mere seconds away from stopping, he felt something suddenly hatching into his back before it started pulling him backwards and away from the scene.

 _Fuck!_ Was the last Natsu thought as he left his memory only to find himself going into another place in his mind.

* * *

 **A/N:** Talk about being cruel, no? I just killed a 3-4 year old kid in this chapter (I'm so sorry...?).

Okay so because this was a rather emotional chapter I've decided to add a bonus chapter bellow, that has nothing to do with the story. It's based on a conversation I had with J.S but it took forever before I got around to do it. But it's here now and that's all that counts ^^

 **Omake: In the meantime...**

Zeref was chuckling to himself because he had successfully infiltrated the guild of Fairy Tail and was now sneaking down to the basement, unnoticed by the members who was launching in the hall.

When he reached the bottom, he quickly turned his head to make sure no one was around before tiptoeing over to the big glistening crystal.

"Mavis..." Zeref whispered before he placed both hands on the cold surface containing her body "... it has been too long"

Sighing the dark mage placed his forehead against the crystal, where he stood breathing through his mouth, making it fog where his breath hit the blonde's prison.

"Do not worry" he smiled before reaching into his clothes where he fetched a tiny doll "I haven't been completely alone, look I have a plushie that looks just like you"

Zeref chuckled as he glared at the doll "And do not worry I have more than one of these, at my mansion where I have a whole storage of them in various sizes. Some are for hugging others are small like this one so I can bring them with me. You know that's the reason I always wear these shaggy and big clothes, so I can keep a few plushies inside my cloak"

The dark mage smiled as he brought forth a blanket and cuddled up against the cold crystal.

"Ahhh" he sighed in pleasure feeling incredibly satisfied, as he nuzzled his cheek affectionately against the crystal "Goodnight my sweet girl"

Zeref blushed as he turned around and gently kissed the crystal.

"You and me... even if you're like that we'll be together forever"

And before the dark mage knew it, he was fast asleep hugging the orange prison, with a bubble of snot dangling out of his nose.

Zeref would occasionally sneak down to visit her, but sadly his nightly adventures to the basement was rudely stopped, because all of a sudden only members of the guild was allowed to go there.

Zeref was mad and furious! But what could he do about it?

Ohh yeah he had an army!

 _Bring it oooooon Fairy Tail!_ Zeref thought and slipped a hand through his hair, before waving his locks back and forth making it look like he was in a shampoo commercial, as his black hair glistened perfectly in the air.

"I'm getting my baby back!" the dark mage grumbled as he put a toothpick into his mouth and brought forth a pair of sunglasses "And there ain't no Fairy Tail bitches who's gonna stop me"

(insert awesome guitar solo)

The End


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer:** Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima

* * *

 _ **ACT IV: Aftermath – Psychological Wounds**_

 _ **Approximately X793**_

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

 **Chapter 22: Countdown**

Natsu felt thoroughly confused when he found himself standing in front of his pure glistening soul and the orange shining sphere.

 _What the...?_

"So how was it?" the orange contours of the demon asked as it appeared in front of the Dragon Slayer's own radiating body.

Not answering Natsu just stood blinking, as his counterpart approached him.

"Sad, no?" the demon enquired, before tilting his head to the side "Mm?"

"Well... yeah..." the Dragon Slayer gulped and felt a mixture of emotions rummaging through his system. It was so weird and overwhelming that he couldn't hold on to one singular feeling, which was probably because his mind was shocked from what it had experienced. And why wouldn't it be, after all the Natsu had just experienced his own death...

"You have a lot of questions now don't ya?" the demon smiled sadly.

"I... died?"

"You did yes" his opponent confirmed.

"But how...?"

"Are you alive now?" the demon finished his question and let out a sigh "Well I'm not sure about the details, however from what I've gathered Zeref used our body somehow to create END. He must have used a couple of years on it, because when I was unleashed into the world and saw him for the first time he was considerably older, than what he was in the memory you just saw. My estimate is about ten years have passed from the time our original body died..."

"Ohh..."

"But honestly I can't say anything for sure..." the demon shook his head "... because it was only recently I myself remembered the time from when we were human"

"I... wait a second..." Natsu rubbed his chin in thought "If you weren't created back then, why on earth are you the one remembering it?"

"Well it could be because your mind had experienced something so traumatic that it was suppressed, but since it wasn't erased completely it eventually moved over and became a part of my existence" the demon pointed at the orange glistening ball "Or perhaps Zeref locked it all away somewhere inside of me and it would resurface when you started to acknowledge me"

"... this is so confusing..." Natsu groaned feeling mildly annoyed.

"Not really..." the demon blinked "I mean no matter what caused it, you could say it's like when a man and a woman are intimate with each other, resulting in them creating an offspring"

"Don't compare it with something like that!" Natsu roared in outrage.

"An egg then" his opponent sighed clearly frustrated "Consider your old memories as an egg you need to open"

"I can easily do that by myself" The Dragon Slayer snorted "Just one good smack that's all it takes"

"Gosh darn it, you're annoying" the demon's eyebrow twitched in anger "Okay if it makes it easier image us being a pair of chopsticks. It takes both of us before you can grab something and consume it. Sure you can try poking your food with one chopstick, but it's easier if you use both of them"

"Ahh I think I get it now" Natsu hummed suddenly feeling hungry.

"... you're actually drooling in that form..." the demon facepalmed himself "... this recollecting your memories thing, might actually be the death of me"

"That reminds me"

"Mm?"

"Why did it physically hurt so freakishly much for me to remember it?"

"Ahh, well because I forced you to drink it" the demon grinned wickedly "So it shouldn't hurt as much next time you consume a memory"

"... you're an asshole..."

"Likewise"

"Hmf!" Natsu snorted defiantly "Anyway, you made me relive a memory, so now you have to show me how to gain access to the demonic powers"

"Look who thinks he's being smart all of a sudden" his counterpart smirked "Very well come with me"

Natsu did what he was told and followed the creature over to the orange glistening ball.

"Place your hands on the sphere" the demon said.

"This ain't a trap is it?" Natsu narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

"No, it isn't a trap, see that red liquid in there?" a claw pointed at the red thing flowing in the sphere "You need to reach that because that's pure demonic blood, it was taken almost 400 years ago when Zeref locked me away for the first time in that book of his. Anyhow the blood in there will respond to the demonic blood that flows inside of you, since they essentially came from the same source"

"How do I reach it?" Natsu asked before placing his hands against the orange ball, momentarily surprised at how warm it felt against his palms.

"Connect with it through your markings... feel the heat of the sphere and try to reach out to the primal side of yourself"

"That's easy for you to say" Natsu grumbled but fortunately it wasn't that hard to feel the connection between his markings and the blood. So without really doing anything the Dragon Slayer saw the red liquid moving in his direction. When it reached his right hand it slowly started snaking up on the skin of his arm, forming the same patterns as the markings on his physical body.

"Ohh..." Natsu mouthed feeling astonished for a second, as he stared at the markings glistening in an orange colour.

"Now all you have to do is wake up and summon it" the demon said in a serious tone "But before you do that, I need you to be cautious"

"Why?"

"Because I'm the demon here and I know how to deal with the curse. So don't try to summon it if you're not ready to face the unrestricted powers it contains. If you do, things could easily turn out wrong"

"How so?" Natsu asked dreading the answer.

"Trust me, you don't wanna know"

"The heck, if there's something I need to know..."

"There isn't..." the demon sighed and pointed in his direction "... now go play with your power"

"Wha...?" Natsu started but suddenly felt himself being evicted from his mind, so forcefully he didn't get a chance to react before he was back in the world of the living.

"Son of a..." the Dragon Slayer muttered before he snapped his eyes open, making him stare at the ceiling in his room.

 _Wait a second..._ Natsu thought before turning his head, surprised to realise that he was sprawled out on the floor.

"Huh?" he blinked feeling perplexed as he raised his body and got into a sitting position. It took a few seconds of staring before he realised the condition his house was in.

"Eh?!" his eyes bulged when he saw his trashed furniture, that looked like it had been exposed to some hardcore violence.

 _Oh no..._ not knowing to what extend his unconscious behaviour had destroyed his home and valuables, the Dragon Slayer started to thoroughly scan each and every item in the room. Fortunately it didn't look like anything important was destroyed, only some old furniture he should have replaced ages ago.

"Ahh..." he exhaled feeling somewhat grateful.

Natsu just stood like that when he suddenly felt something trickling down his nose, making him use the back of his hand to remove it. However it wasn't enough, making the Dragon Slayer furrow his eyebrows before looking at his hand, expecting there to be a disgusting layer of snot but seeing something red instead.

"Crap!" Natsu placed his hand above his nose before sprinting over to the sink, where he removed his hand that was suddenly covered in blood. Not sure what to do he just stood staring at the droplets as they fell from his nose and hit the bottom of the sink, where it started gathering into a small pool.

He just stood like that when he he realised that he should probably try to stop the flow. So with that in mind he pinched his nose with two fingers, but instead of helping, the blood just seemed to stream down his throat. Which was rather disgusting, so Natsu removed his fingers again and just lazily stared at the red liquid that kept dripping for what felt like forever, but fortunately it eventually stopped.

"Jeez.." a groan escaped from him as he opened the tap making water flow in a steady stream, he used to removed the evidence that his nose had been fucking retarded. He also used the water to cleanse his mouth from the awful metallic taste in his mouth.

"Stupid body... stupid demon..." the Dragon Slayer cursed before raising his arm in order to look at his markings. They were still glistening ever so faintly with that orange light, which might indicate the key to summoning his demonic powers was still there.

Should he try it out? To see what the curse felt like?

Honestly was there even in point in asking?

Chuckling in excitement he closed his eyes and felt the raw powers inside his markings. It didn't take more than a second for the curse to respond to his request, making him feel the unleashed power starting to flow through his veins.

"Mm?" the Dragon Slayer opened his eyes and watched in ave as the glistening markings slid across his skin, before forming into different patterns all over his body, where the glistening effect vanished leaving black tattoo like markings. Once that was over with he noticed that his hands was starting to look more like claws, making them seem more lethal and sharp. At the same time he felt a sudden headache and heard the unpleasant sound of bones shattering in his skull, as something started emerging from his head. Fortunately the feeling soon vanished leaving him panting as the summoning finally finished.

"Neat..." Natsu muttered as he eyed his claw like hand before he ignited it, making black flames spawn.

"This is so cool!" he chuckled childishly before extinguishing the fire and casually strolling over to the bathroom, in order to look himself in the mirror.

"Holy shit!" his eyes widened as he took in his new appearance. Of course it wasn't that surprising because he had seen it in that image Happy had stolen and he had somewhat seen it, when he had watched the demonic contour in his mind, however it wasn't the same as actually experiencing it. Heck no, it was nothing like he had imagined.

Not sure what to do he just stared into his red glistening eyes, transfixed at the cruelness they suddenly emitted. Like seriously it almost made himself feel intimidated by it.

"Mmm..." Natsu grumbled before turning his head to stare at his horns.

 _Honest to god, they locked fucking awesome!_

The Dragon Slayer smiled a toothy grin at himself, before he started wiggling his tongue as if he was trying to tease his own image.

Natsu just stood there doing weird faces and grimaces, when he accidentally poked himself in the eye, making him swear profoundly. The situation annoyed him so much he suddenly felt an unreasonable anger being unleashed inside of him. It was such a powerful feeling that he almost didn't get time to fight it, but fortunately he managed to cope with it in time, as he stood perfectly still trying his best to focus on his breathing and not his emotions.

 _So that was the negative side of his curse? Well no wonder the demon warned him about it_... Natsu thought and closed his eyes before placing both claw like hands on the sink and leaning against it, his head tilting forwards from the motion.

Having had enough fun for the moment Natsu started breathing through his mouth, trying to figure out how to suppress his demonic powers again.

 _You need to command it back... make the blood flow back into the orange sphere_ , a voice in his mind spoke.

"How?" the Dragon Slayer wondered out loud.

 _Visualise it..._

"Easier said than done" Natsu grumbled before he tried visualising it. The process was slow and boring but eventually he got a hold of it, making the demonic features vanish from his body. Once that was over with, he took a moment to stare at himself in the mirror to make sure he was back to his usual self, before stomping out of the bathroom.

"Mmm..." he muttered before looking outside. It was still too early to go to the guild, so he might as well start throwing out the furniture that wasn't functioning any more. So with that, the Dragon Slayer found himself occupied for the next few hours.

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

Zeref was standing by himself in a vast and huge area, where he stood taking in his surroundings.

There was nothing there other than rocks and some tiny pieces of green in the form of grass and moss. This was the same place he had been, when he had made his first encounter with Igneel so many years ago. Back then none of them knew how fateful their encounter would be, nor did they know just how grim and horrific the future would be look like. At that time the world had been tainted with hatred and chaos, which was evident from the vast amount of corpses that had been sprawled all over the place and soon it was time yet again to see the ground covered in a crimson colour, which hopefully would mean it was time to meet his end.

 _He just wanted to die, why would anyone deny him of something so basic?_

"Tsch" Zeref snorted and watched as a dark silhouette approached him and it didn't take long before he recognised him as Achnologia in his human form.

Once his opponent was close enough, he stopped in his tracks and just stood staring with eyes glistening with anticipation and anger.

"Achnologia" the dark mage smirked "It would seem the time has come"

The man nodded a tiny smile playing on his lips.

"As I told you before..." a female voice suddenly spoke from beside the duo "... we will stop you"

"Mavis" the dark mage turned his head to look at her.

"We will stop you no matter what it takes" the tiny mage's eyes narrowed as she took in the other two.

Achnologia couldn't see the girl, so he snorted loudly feeling angry about the dark mage suddenly name dropping what he presumed was a human's name.

"I'm sorry..." Zeref chuckled darkly "... I hope you're prepared for the destined day when the sun rises on the seventh of July"

"... yes..." Achnologia growled in a lethal voice his eyes glistening with amusement.

"Excellent" the dark mage smiled to himself before turning around and walking away, Mavis closely following behind him.

They walked for a while, before Mavis addressed the other mage.

"Zeref please" she pleaded in a gentle voice "It isn't too late to stop this madness"

"Mmm..." he hummed lazily.

"We can still solve this, it isn't to late to find a cure for the curse"

"Ohh but it is"

"I understand your frustration, but please this is not the solution" Mavis shook her head.

"You know nothing!" Zeref snarled and threw his arm dismissively to the side "I lost everything too many times, so now the world needs to suffer just as I have suffered. It's time my wish is granted and I get revenge. I need satisfaction, no to be more accurate I demand it!"

"Zeref..." Mavis whispered in a low voice "... how can I make you stop this?"

"You can't do anything... our bond... our friendship, is something lost a long time ago. As I've said before I do have some faith in you, but this is it" the dark mage took a deep breath "This is the end"

They exchanged a long glance with each other, both of them with a hint of sadness lingering in their eyes.

"Mavis..." Zeref started "... this is goodbye"

"Yes..." she nodded trying her best not to look affected by the situation.

Opening his mouth, the dark mage just stared at the girl not sure what to say next. Everything he wanted to say had been said, there was nothing left for him to do other than unleash the next chaotic war onto the world. So with that in mind Zeref let out a sigh and walked past Mavis, ignoring her calling as he left her behind.

 _Soon it was his time... it was his turn to take action and get what he deserved._

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

Jellal was watching the conversation between Zeref and an unknown person. Or well it wasn't an unknown person for long, since the dark mage addressed him as Achnologia. Not knowing how that was possible, the blue haired mage just observed and listened until the two of them finished their exchange and went in opposite directions.

 _This was bad... really bad_ , he thought to himself as he quickly made his way back to where the rest of Crime Sorciere was gathered.

"I keep telling you it's too raw!" Sorano yelled making Jellal flinch, because it would seem she was discussing with Meredy again about something.

"... girls..." he massaged the bridge of his nose and let out a sigh, before announcing his arrival to the group, by strolling into their view. Currently the team was gathered around a bonfire, all of them relaxing and trying to ignore the two females bickering.

"And I keep telling you it's supposed to be like that" Meredy stomped with her foot and held out a carrot "If I cook it even more then it'll turn into mush!"

"Naah-ahh!" Sorano countered and shook her head, making her white hair flap from the motion.

"Enough of this!" Jellal groaned impatiently "This is not the time to discuss food"

"Jellal you're back!" Meredy immediately lit up "Did you find something useful?"

"That he did..." Erik yawned loudly, his jaw cracking loudly "... I heard everything"

"Really?" Sawyer smirked and fiddled momentarily with his glasses.

"You know I did, idiot" the poison Dragon Slayer snorted defiantly.

"Please don't provoke him, we don't have time for this" Jellal groaned as he made his way over to Macbeth who was sleeping, with his back resting against the trunk of a tree. When he got there Jellal gently shook the other mage's shoulder making him groan, but eventually the black and white haired mage opened his eyes.

"It's time for our next move" Jellal stated before turning around to eye each member of the group "Zeref will start the war the seventh of July that's two days from now, so it's time to start what we've been planning the last year"

"Seems so" Erik grumbled and lazily scratched his neck "I guess there's nothing left to do than get this shit started"

"Yes..." Zeref nodded "You all know what to do and where to go. I'll see you all on the promised day"

They all nodded and silently the group split up and departed in different direction. The only person who didn't move right away was Meredy who nervously eyed the blue haired mage.

"What is it?" he asked feeling slightly curious why she hadn't left yet "You know what to do"

"Yes I know..." Meredy sighed heavily "... it just... I know we've been preparing for this for a long time, but still it seems so suddenly"

"I know"

"Seven guilds... seven members..."

"Yes"

They both stood in silence when a grin played on the pink haired girl's lips.

"Meredy?" Jellal asked not sure he wanted to know but asked her anyway "What is it?"

"Ohh nothing..." she chuckled "... it's been a long time since you saw her, hm?"

"I uhm... so it would seem, yes" Jellal blushed, secretly looking forward to it, but not admitting it out loud.

"So are you gonna confess your feelings this time?" Meredy smirked teasingly, making the other mage blush even more.

"Fee-feelings?!" Jellal stuttered and shook his head in denial "You know I don't..."

"Sure you don't..." Meredy sighed and gently patted the other mage on his back "... just be sure you don't regret anything later on. We don't know what might happen after all so..."

"I know..."

"Good" the pink haired mage nodded to herself "Well I'm off, see you later kay?"

"Yes... see you later" Jellal answered and watched as Meredy left leaving him alone.

The time had finally come for the last encounter and now it was his time to fullfill his role. He would have to hurry though, because it was already getting late and he needed to get there in time.

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

The guild of Fairy Tail was almost empty, which was probably because it was so early in the morning. It wasn't completely empty though, because Lucy was casually sitting at the bar sipping a cup of tea.

Letting out a sigh, the celestial mage removed the steam from her cup by blowing on it, before taking a sip and enjoying how it warmed her throat.

The last few days had been chaotic and rather emotional. Not only because of the meditation she had done with Natsu, but because there was a strange and foreboding aura in the guild that something was about to go down soon. Everyone knew instinctively this leaving them slightly on the edge and nervous.

Heck even Makarov was making preparations for something, by the look of things. The worst time was when the tiny mage had dragged Laxus into his office, where the lightning mage had stormed out all of a sudden with a angry look on his face, mumbling something about the master and responsibilities, clearly not satisfied with whatever they had talked about.

Ohh well, there was nothing she could do about it really, other than wait just like the others did.

Speaking about mood and behaviour, Lucy had noticed that there was a slight change in herself other than her nerves. It was something she couldn't explain, but ever since she had used Lumen Historie or Fairy Heart, it was like she felt more adventures and bold in her behaviour towards the pink haired Dragon Slayer.

It was rather weird, because it was like something inside of her had evoked, making her feel a certain need to be closer to him. To be near him and do weird things like tease him, just to see that stupid idiotic person smile. Mavis had said that she didn't know how it might affect her in the future, so surely this was just an after affect of that.

 _Stupid idiotic spell making her confused about her own feelings,_ Lucy grumbled in her mind when she heard the sound of the doors burst open.

"Luce!" Natsu roared and a second later he was standing next to her "Thank god you're here!"

"Uhm..." she muttered before turning to look at him. Even though he was clearly excited about something, it was evident that he was also fatigued, which she guessed was because he was still sleep deprived.

"It's not time for uhm!" he said in a serious tone and looked rather guilty about something "I have something I need to tell you..."

"Ohh okay" she nodded "Sorry for saying this but you look tired?"

"I kinda am..." Natsu shrugged lazily.

"You wanna talk about it?" Lucy asked feeling worried all of a sudden.

"Naw... well maybe later" there was a hint of sadness shining in his eyes as he exhaled a shaking breath.

For some reason the sight made her want to hug him, to try to comfort him from whatever it was that was making him suffer, but she shrugged it off by grabbing her tea and taking another huge gulp. Which was a bad idea because the quick and careless motion made her burn her tongue.

"Ahhh!" Lucy exclaimed as she sank the hot tea "Ngh"

"What's wrong?" Natsu eyed her carefully, making her shake her head with a chuckle.

"Nothing I just burned my tongue, is all"

"Mmm..." he narrowed his eyes before grabbing her chin with his hand.

"Uhm...?" she blushed at the sudden touch.

"Open it"

"What?!"

"Your mouth, open it"

Not sure what else to do, she did what he had asked her to do and opened her mouth. As she did the Dragon Slayer carefully looked at her tongue, his eyebrows furrowing before he made his way behind the bar and rummaged through the freezer until he found what he was looking for.

"This should do it" Natsu muttered to himself before making his way back to the celestial mage, who eyed him up and down while feeling rather confused "Luce open up"

Again she did what she was told and opened her mouth, before Natsu carefully placed an ice cube on her tongue.

"Now you just suck on that" the Dragon Slayer said as a blush suddenly spawned on his cheeks.

Lucy didn't say anything but just nodded, feeling how the cold ice seemed to soothe her tongue.

"So uhm... yeah I have something I need to tell you, so will you come with me?"

"Mmm?" she blinked and turned to look at the rather empty guild.

"I know there ain't that many here, but I want to tell you this in private okay?"

Nodding Lucy jumped down from her seat, earning a huge smile from Natsu.

"Neat! Let's go!" He practically ran towards the door before Lucy had time to react. Once the Dragon Slayer reached the door, he turned around to send her a radiating smile which was probably a bad thing, because in the exact moment he turned his head face to the door again it violently burst open.

"Argh!" Natsu roared in pain as the door smacked loudly against his head, making him stand grumbling against the wooden material that was suddenly in his face.

Lucy quickly spat the ice cube into her hand, her aim being the Dragon Slayer, but the blonde stopped in her tracks when she saw who the person was that had arrived.

"Jellal" she muttered sounding mildly astonished.

"Lucy" the blue haired mage smirked "Pleasure to meet you again"

"Likewise" she smiled back, not sure what else to say.

"Where is the rest of the guild?" Jellal asked as he took in the room.

"They'll be here later on, it's still rather early" Lucy answered and quickly glanced at the fire mage who was still standing with his head slammed against the door while grumbling something inaudible.

"When will Natsu arrive?" Jellal asked, not noticing the viscous aura coming from beside him.

"Uhm..." Lucy pointed her finger in the Dragon Slayer's direction "he's... right there"

"I..." the blue haired mage gently manoeuvred the door towards himself, thereby revealing the fuming Dragon Slayer "I see... what a weird place to stand"

"Grrr..." Natsu's eyebrow twitched from withheld anger.

"It is also a pleasure to see you again" Jellal said oblivious to the other mage's mood.

"Tsch!" the Dragon Slayer snorted "Pleasure my ass, you just hit my head!"

"I did?" the blue haired mage blinked looking rather surprised "I'm sorry I didn't..."

"Never mind!" Natsu sighed loudly "Why are you here?"

"The time has come" Jellal said his tone instantly becoming serious "For humanity to face their greatest enemies in war"

None of them said anything as they stared in disbelief and horror at the blue haired mage.

"No..." Lucy whispered as the reality of his sentence sank in, because another war would potentially mean casualties.

"The final encounter"Jellal continued "Known as the Dragon King Festival but also as Ragnarok. The fight begins tomorrow at dawn"

* * *

 **A/N:** "The time has come" Jellal said his tone instantly becoming serious "For you to lip-sync for your LIFE!" O.o I'm not sure why I tend to make Jellal humorous and kinda oblivious to things, but heck I like portraying him like that.

As you see from this (and future chapters) this story is really starting to take an alternative route compared to the manga. It's all good though, I hope XD

 **Important info:** I didn't know how to get this into the chapter, but the reason Zeref triggered the END process in Natsu (by "killing" Lucy), was because he needed the Dragon Slayer to make a choice before the war is unleashed. So yeah, that's something I guess

 **Bonus info** : I have 25 written pages already for the next arc/act but I need a lot of entries

and fighting and… *sigh*it's hard work keeping a track on everything ;)

HugzZ and ze kizzezZ,

/Hejmdal


	23. Chapter 23

**Disclaimer:** Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima

* * *

 _ **ACT V: Ragnarok – The Faithful Encounter**_

 _ **Approximately X793**_

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

 **Chapter 23: Alliance**

It had been chaos almost immediately after Jellal came to the guild and announced the upcoming war. For one thing they had to prepare a lot of stuff, before they could leave, but they also had to repeat the story every time a new member entered the guild. It was exhausting and stressful, which fortunately meant for the celestial mage, that she didn't have time to be worried. However that also meant she never got a chance to talk to Natsu, because there was too much to do to take a break.

Before Lucy knew it, they had gathered everything and everyone which meant they were now travelling towards the designated place, where the final encounter would unfold the following morning. The thought made a shiver run down Lucy's spine, making her sigh heavily.

"You okay?" Gray asked in concern beside her.

"Yeah..." Lucy smirked trying to reassure him, but also herself "... I'm good"

"No you're not" Natsu snorted sounding mildly annoyed "None of us are"

"Huh?" she blinked before turning to exchange a glare with the pink haired kid.

"You heard me" he exhaled a shaking breath "None of us are fine with this situation, but it's how we face it that determines how we'll conquer it. I mean it's a goddamn war, so it ain't something to be taken lightly. However we need to keep strong and believe in our own conviction that humanity will win, or else it's a battle we've already lost"

"He's right..." Gray smiled triumphantly before placing his hand on Lucy's shoulder "... we'll win this no matter what it takes"

"I know you're right..." the celestial mage started, with a sad look on her face "but what if we have to pay a huge price to earn victory. As you said yourself this is war and that might mean casualties"

"I ain't allowing anyone to die" Natsu smiled before he placed his hand on Lucy's other shoulder "You can be sure of that"

"But..." she wanted to believe him she really did, but there was still this nagging feeling in her stomach that something really bad was about to happen.

"Don't worry Lucy" Happy said in his cheerful voice from down below "If things go wrong you can always use the same trick you did the last time we were in trouble"

"What trick?" the blonde asked but regretted it instantly, when she saw the playful grin on the cat's face.

"Well..." Happy started with a chuckle "Do you remember how you dealt with END?"

"Ohh..." her eyes widened when she realised, what the cat was implying.

"Lucy and Zeref sitting in a tree..." the cat sang teasingly "... k-i-s-s-i-n-g!"

"You..." blushing fiercely her eyebrow started to twitch in annoyance "Idiotic cat! I'm gonna..."

"No I'm gonna!" Natsu roared in anger as he started chasing the laughing cat, who spawned his wings and kept himself at a safe distance "Get back here, you... you... ugh! How dare you suggest something like that!"

"It worked on you so why shouldn't it work on him?" Happy chuckled "Could it be... no... no way!"

"What?!" Natsu growled.

"You're jealous!" the cat snickered knowingly, making the Dragon Slayer blush from the accusation.

"The hell I am!" Natsu growled.

A sigh escaped Lucy's lips as she followed the cat being chased with her eyes, trying her best not to let it affect her emotions. Fortunately for her she didn't hear most of what they were shouting at each other, because they were too far ahead of the group.

It didn't take long though before the two to stop their fight and once more united with the guild, Natsu obviously still steaming with anger.

They walked in silence after that, but it didn't take long before she noticed that once the fury had left Natsu's body, it was replaced with a sort of drowsiness, making him appear like he desperately needed sleep all of a sudden. Actually it was rather obvious from the way he kept yawning, while walking with his eyes half closed.

"You okay?" Lucy asked in concern as she eyed him up and down.

"Uh-huh..." he nodded lazily.

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Naaw..." Natsu yawned and rubbed his eyes with the palm of his hands "... thanks for asking me though"

"You sure? I think I have a chocolate bar somewhere, maybe that could help...?" Lucy suggested "Or I could summon a spirit that can carry you"

The Dragon Slayer smirked "I ain't in the mood for chocolate and I'm afraid being carried by one of your spirits might evoke my motion sickness"

"Ahh... wait does that mean you see my spirits as transportation?" she narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

"No I just..." his eyes widened momentarily "... I just had an idea"

"Really?"

"Yeah I uhm... are you still willing to help?" he asked while looking in another direction.

"Of course" she smiled in encouragement glad there was something she could do.

"Well uhm..." Natsu rubbed his neck sheepishly "... I'm not sure it'll work but it's worth a try, right?"

"Sure?" Lucy blinked feeling confused about his reaction.

"Okay so I got this idea, from when you fell asleep while standing up, right? This is basically the same thing, just we walk while I take a nap"

"That sounds difficult"

"If it works then it should be rather simple" he smiled wholeheartedly before placing his hands on her shoulders.

"Uhm.. kay? What do you need me to do?" she blushed and inwardly congratulated herself from not stuttering.

He didn't say anything but instead placed himself on her left side, his right hand carefully trailing down her arm before placing it on her waist. Once there he removed his left hand from her shoulder and replaced it with his head.

"Now..." he took a deep breath before continuing "Place you hand on my waist, just like I did on yours" Natsu squeezed her waist with his hand, to imply what he meant. Not that he needed that, because it was rather obvious what she had to do.

"Uh-huh..." Lucy mouthed, her cheeks blushing fiercely as she placed her left arm around his waist.

"Perfect!" he chuckled "Hopefully this should keep me stable and capable of walking while I sleep"

"Ye-yeah..."

"Awesome!" Natsu yawned loudly before he closed his eyes "You're the best"

"You're welcome" she said in return and soon the Dragon Slayer was snoring peacefully against her shoulder.

 _This was gonna be a looong day_ , Lucy thought to herself secretly enjoying the situation way too much than she probably should. But heck who cared, it was comforting and calming her nerves and the Dragon Slayer got some much needed sleep. It was a win-win situation no matter how people looked at it.

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

Natsu was sleeping heavily for the first time in what felt like forever, when he felt someone gently nudging his shoulder.

"Nnngh..." he clenched his eyes harder together, ignoring whoever was trying to wake him.

"Natsu wake up" Lucy's gentle voice called.

"Mmm..." still refusing to open his eyes he rubbed his chin against her shoulder.

"We're here, so come on"

"Mooh..." complaining the Dragon Slayer opened his heavy eyelids. It took a second to adjust his eyes to the light, but once they did he noticed that there was a lot of people gathered all around him.

To his surprise it wasn't just their guild but a lot of other guilds as well. There were people all around from Sabertooth, Lamia Scale, Blue Pegasus, Quatro Cerberus and Mermaid Heel.

"It would seem almost everyone is here" Jellal stated as he approached the duo, Erza following close behind him "The only one missing is Twilight Ogre"

"... those guys..." Natsu snarled in anger and unconsciously pressed Lucy more firmly against himself, making her squeal from the sudden gesture.

"Is something wrong?" Jellal blinked since he didn't know how much harm said guild had caused Fairy Tail during the time gab.

"It's water under the bridge" Erza said in her stoic voice, her eyes glistening with anger.

"I.. I see" the blue haired flinched, being intimidated by the armored woman's sudden wrath, but fortunately he was saved by an approaching figure.

"Erik" Jellal gasped sounding relieved "How did it go at Twilight Ogre?"

"Bad I guess" The poison Dragon Slayer shrugged "They didn't wanna come"

"What? Why not?" the blue haired mage enquired.

"Dunno..." Erik sighed loudly "It was going fine until I mentioned who else would participate in the war"

"Ohh?" Erza mouthed sounding mildly surprised.

"Yeah" the poison Dragon Slayer smirked "I could hear their fear, when I said Fairy Tail would participate"

"I see..." Jellal nodded to himself.

"Cowards..." Natsu muttered in a low inaudible voice.

"It's a pity though" Jellal said while rubbing his chin "But hopefully our seven different fractions will be enough"

"I... I'm sure it will be" the celestial mage said, hoping in her heart it would be.

"Ohh..." the poison Dragon Slayer chuckled as he gave Lucy the escalator look "... you sly girl..."

"What...?" the blonde gasped in surprise.

"Nothing..." Erik turned to exchange a look with the Dragon Slayer "... nothing at all"

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Natsu growled before removing his arm from around Lucy's waist so he could clench his fist, prepared to turn it into a fight.

"Tsch!" Erik snorted impatiently "I don't explain something so trivial to an idiot like you"

"The hell! You're gonna tell me even if I have to beat it outta you!" the Dragon Slayer snapped in anger.

"This is not the time nor the place to be fighting amongst ourselves" Erza said her eyes glistening once more with anger as an intimidating aura spawned around her "Do I make myself clear?"

"Ahh... aye" Natsu felt himself shrink on the inside, but managed to keep up his façade in front of the others.

"I have to get going, I need to deliver some messages to Crime Sorciere" Jellal stated before nodding in Erik's direction "We should get going"

"Yeah, yeah..." Erik exhaled loudly and rubbed his neck.

"Will I see you again, before..." Erza said her voice bearing a hint of sadness.

"Yes..." the blue haired mage sent her a smile "I'll make sure of it"

Looking satisfied the scarlet haired woman nodded with her head and didn't say anything else, but just looked as the duo left the scene.

"So Lucy..." Natsu started before turning his head to look at her.

"I..." she nodded as her eyes seemed to catch something in the distance "Yukino is here! I'm sorry I have to go say hi to her"

"Wait!"

Unfortunately it didn't seem like she heard him and before he had a chance to stop her Lucy was gone.

 _Great... just great..._ he thought to himself before turning around to take in his surroundings. It didn't take more than a second before he realised that this was the same spot, he had been in ohh so many times in his nightmares where he encountered Igneel.

"Ugh!" Natsu groaned before he started massaging the bridge of his nose, as he had an unpleasant flashback to the bloody war. This time Igneel was screaming like he had in his nightmares and the sound was still so agonising, it made a single droplet of cold sweat trail down his forehead.

 _Not now... please..._

"Ey you're finally here!" someone yelled before slapping his back, making the Dragon Slayer snap back to reality "I've been waiting forever to see you again"

"Sti-Sting?!" Natsu stuttered in surprise when he saw who had saved him from his flashback.

"Yup" the blonde kid smiled wholeheartedly.

"Hi!" Lector greeted and waved with his paw.

"Hey" the Dragon Slayer answered.

"So what's up? You seemed out of it for a second there..." Sting said sounding worried.

"It's nothing really..." he shrugged.

"You sure?"

"Yeah..."

"Mmm well okay" Sting smirked "We've got a lot of catching up to do don't we?"

"Uh-huh..." he nodded and before Natsu knew it, he was engaged in a long conversation with the blonde Dragon Slayer, who eventually dragged him along to meet his guild.

After that Natsu found himself occupied with a bunch of other people who wanted to great him in various ways and before he knew it the sun had set and everything seemed to quiet down as people gathered in groups to prepare dinner.

His stomach growled loudly from the many different smells that came from all around him and soon he took a route to different bonfires where he mooched various food. Once that was over with he casually strolled around and talked to even more people while cheering on their victory in the upcoming battle. However all of the socialisation eventually became got too much even for the amazing Dragon Slayer, making him feel completely exhausted.

"Ahhh" Natsu yawned loudly, making small tears gather in the corner of his eyes, as he lazily strolled back to the place their guild had gathered in a large group. A lot of people was already sleeping around a huge bonfire, others had brought a tent and was resting inside of them. Of course Natsu didn't bring a tent, because he didn't mind sleeping underneath the open sky. Besides it was more comfortable not being restricted inside a small tent.

As his eyes scanned the area he noticed Lucy was sitting with her back against a tree with a blanket wrapped around her body. She had her eyes closed, which meant she was either resting or sleeping. On her lap Happy was curled up like a ball, snoring peacefully with a bubble of snot dangling out of his nose.

 _Awww_ , Natsu thought to himself as he wandered over to them and sat down next to the blonde.

"Luce?" The fire mage asked but didn't receive an answer "Oy, are you awake?"

Still not receiving an answer he carefully looked her over and judging by the rhythm of her breathing, she was indeed fast asleep.

Another yawn escaped his lips as he stretched his arms above his body, making his muscles tingle in a pleasant way, indicating that all of his body needed to rest.

Sighing loudly he leaned backwards so his back was against the tree, before he closed his eyes.

 _Sleep... sleeping would be so awesome..._

As he sat there Natsu was momentarily surprised when he felt something nudging against his shoulder, making him peek down only to see blonde hair trailing down his shoulder.

"... neat..." the Dragon Slayer whispered to himself as he gently placed his head on top of hers where he took a deep breath before exhaling slowly, getting him even more drowsy than he already was.

 _Scratch sleeping being awesome, this was bound to be amazing!_

Smirking Natsu closed his eyes and before he knew it, he was sleeping without any dreams or nightmares, giving him some much needed rest before the upcoming battle.

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

Lucy was abruptly wakened at the crack of dawn, by people shouting while urgently running around.

"What's going on?" she asked and to her surprise Natsu was sitting beside her, his eyes wide and alerted by the commotion.

"It's time" Happy said his tiny body shivering "They're coming"

"Ohh..." Lucy's eyes widened as she got into a standing position and scanned her surroundings with her eyes. The Dragon Slayer copied her movements and stood beside her a second later.

"You guys" Erza shouted before placing herself in front of them "We need to get moving, come with me"

"Ye-yes" Lucy nodded feeling both scared but oddly enough also determined as they made their way to the front of the people who was already gathered there. The battle formation of the guilds was rather simple, since they were all gathered in teams prepared to support each other if the need for it occurred.

"We're here" Erza stated to Gray, who looked slightly on the edge for what was about to happen.

"Yeah..." the ice mage sighed.

"Don't worry Juvia's got your back" the water mage said in encouragement, before she placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm not worried..." the ice mage pouted in defiance.

"It's okay to be worried and it's okay to feel nervous" Erza stated with a nod " That only proves you're human and ready to give it your all, to protect the things you hold dear" her eyes darted and momentarily rested on Jellal's figure.

"Yeah!" Natsu agreed.

"We can do this!" Happy raised a clenched paw.

Lucy didn't say anything but smiled widely, because Erza's encouragement momentarily filled her with determination.

After that they watched the sun rising in silence, as it slowly covered everything in a warm soothing light. It was almost poetic how the whole beautiful scenario would eventually be destroyed with fierce battles and potential deaths. It was such a contradiction that Lucy felt her stomach sink, before a sense of melancholia washed over her.

 _Could they really win this on humanity's behalf? Would anyone die? Was this the last time all of the guilds was assembled with all of their members?_

These and lot more thoughts, spawned in her head making a few lonely tears trail down her cheeks.

"It's gonna be fine" Natsu smiled widely in encouragement before grabbing her hand with his own and giving it a squeeze "I've got your back"

"Yeah.." she smiled sadly back at him before wiping her face with her free hand.

"Any time" he gave her hand another squeeze, this time she returned it by doing the same thing to his hand.

Not long after that they saw a lot of silhouettes approaching them from one direction. At first it was hard to determine who it was, but it looked like a huge army guided by a single long haired man. From another direction a single person spawned and before Luce could see who it she heard Natsu growling beside her.

"Zeref..." the Dragon Slayer snarled earning a quick glance from Luce as she looked in the same direction as he did, which was the person walking alone.

 _Was he seriously gonna fight them on his own?_

"Don't let your guards down, Zeref is up to something" Mavis gentle voice rang in her head all of a sudden, making her turn around to find the first guild master, but she was nowhere to be seen.

"What's wrong?" Natsu asked in concern.

"I just thought..." Lucy started before shaking her head "never mind I'm just imagining things"

"You're weird"

"No I'm not, you're weird" she countered earning a small chuckle from the Dragon Slayer.

Not knowing what else to say she watched the approaching army. There was something off about the way they moved. It was like they were staggering, like it was hard for them to move.

"Fucking shit!" Natsu spat in disgust before pinching his nose with his free hand "Ugh, that's nasty"

"So you're smelling it too Salamander?" Gajeel asked before taking a breath through his mouth

"What is it?" Lucy asked, not sure she if wanted to know the answer.

"Of course I can smell it, you dumbass!" Natsu growled impatiently.

"Ohh yeah? But if you're so smart, then tell me what it is" the iron Dragon Slayer snarled.

"Well corpses obviously" the fire mage answered.

"Tsch, I see why you would think that, because of the rotten stench, but what makes you so sure it's corpses?" Gajeel enquired while crocking his eyebrow.

"They have this unique smell..." Natsu answered his eyes glistening with sadness "Each of them smells the same, because their scents have left their body. They reek with something cold, because their souls are gone, removing every trace about who they were in real life. It's like... the smell of death"

"How horrible" Lucy sank, uncomfortable by the fact that the army approaching them was moving corpses.

"And how would a goody two shoes like you, know what a corpse smells like, huh?" Gajeel snorted.

"It doesn't matter" the fire mage exhaled a shaking breath "I just do, okay?"

"Ohh yeah? Seems like you have a good story up your sleeve. Make sure to tell me about it once we get back, you hear?" Gajeel said before spinning around on his heels and walking back to his team.

"You okay?" Lucy asked when she noticed that Natsu's eyes looked slightly haunted.

"Yes..." he rubbed the bridge of his nose for a second, before turning to send her a smile "...thanks"

"You're welcome" she gave his hand a squeeze earning one in return.

When the army was close enough they could all smell the rotten stench, but they could also see the empty and emotionless eyes all of the approaching soldiers had.

All of a sudden the unknown long haired man swung with his arm, making all of the corpses stop. After that the man walked over to Zeref, where they looked like they exchanged a few words, before both of them casually strolled over to the alliance of guilds.

"Natsu..." Zeref smirked "... the time is about to end, not only for you but for all of humanity"

"Like I'll allow that to happen" the Dragon Slayer snarled in anger.

"Now, now be polite" the dark mage chuckled "After all you know who I am now don't you?"

"It doesn't matter who you are, we will win this meaningless fight" Natsu countered, his eyes momentarily looking sad and betraying his determined statement.

"We'll see" the dark mage smiled warmly towards his brother "After all Igneel did have so high hopes in you"

"Zeref let's start this shit already" the unknown man with long hair grumbled in a hoarse voice "My patience is already at it's limit"

The sound made Lucy flinch and shiver, because it was reeking with cruelty. Besides the man's aura was so ominous it made her feel uncomfortable. Actually it was like she had felt this presence before...

"I see you brought your own army" Zeref said as he took in the huge mass who was cackling in a weird and nasty way. Actually it was like death had robbed them of the ability to speak, so they could only communicating by using primal noises, which was rather frightening.

"Yes..." the man smiled wickedly "... humans are filthy animals but once you remove their souls, they can be quite competent in serving as a distraction"

"You did what?!" Lucy said in outrage "But that's impossible, the only one who has ever done that was..." her eyes widened in horror.

"And yet again your intelligence surprises me" Zeref glanced in her direction "Not even the Dragon Slayer's has caught on to his scent since he isn't in his usual form"

"What the heck is he talking about?" Laxus said as he took a step forwards.

"Blah blah! This is boring!" the long haired man groaned.

"Yes..." Zeref exhaled loudly "... let's begin" as he said that the dark mage motioned with his arms and suddenly a black and purple coloured sphere spawned.

"What is that...?" Lucy wondered and a second later her question was answered as creatures emerged from what seemed like a portal to another dimension or place.

"My precious creatures... my secret army of demons" Zeref answered as a lot of black and red scaled creatures spawned. All of them looked the same, crawling on four legs with black and red scales covering their bodies. In a way they looked like lizards that had mutated and became the same size of a horse. All of the creatures had radiating yellow and ominous shining eyes and claws that was lethally sharp. Other than that they had multiple horns sticking out from their head, all of them looking pointy and dangerous. As if that wasn't enough, the high-pitched scream they made was so unnatural and foreboding with death, it sent a shiver down Lucy's spine.

After those demons had spawned, more came through the portal but these all looked different. Of course they all looked frightening, but they all had different features and appearances, which indicated they were stronger than the first creatures that emerged.

"Finally! The time has come for me to once more show you why I'm the Dragon King!" the unknown man said before his body started to change and before they got a chance to react, he had turned into the huge and massive dragon known as Acnologia "Attack my filthy army!"

The snarling corpses army launched themselves and as they did Zeref commanded his demons to attack as well. It didn't take more than a heartbeat before the humans joined the battle as well, with fierce and heartfelt battle screams.

 _It's time_ , Lucy thought to herself as Natsu released her hand and started running in the direction Zeref had been only moments ago.

Her hand still felt warm from it being intertwined with the Dragon Slayer's, clenched in determination as she grabbed her keys.

 _The fight for humanity's survival had begun..._

* * *

 **A/N:** As I said this is really where things becomes different from the manga XD

I mean I added freaking zombies to the universe! That's something, bwahaha!

And yes Natsu is thinking: "man I never got a chance to talk to Lucy before hell broke loose", so it'll be fun to see if that'll have an effect in the future.

So yeah... that's it! Have a nice weekend y'all!

/H


	24. Chapter 24

**Disclaimer:** Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima

* * *

 _ **ACT V: Ragnarok – The Faithful Encounter**_

 _ **Approximately X793**_

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

 **Chapter 24: Trouble**

Lucy was chasing Natsu with the rest of her team following close behind her, trying to call out for him but it was no use. Of course she should have known from the start that he would start chasing the dark mage, instead of staying with the group but it was still pretty annoying, because that meant they had to dodge incoming attackers while chasing the pink haired kid.

Fortunately they eventually caught up with him, as he stood glaring around him with an annoyed expression on his face.

"God damn it!" the Dragon Slayer growled in anger "Where the heck did he go?"

"You know he's a professional when it comes to disappearing, so this shouldn't surprise you" Erza said in a neutral tone, as she slammed a clenched fist into the stomach of an approaching and snarling corpse, making it fly backwards into another group.

"Besides this isn't the time for you to go out on your own" Gray said as he summoned his demon slayers magic, that made black markings glide across his skin.

"Shut up! If I want to chase Zeref, then that's none of your business!" the Dragon Slayer snarled in annoyance.

"Stop it right now!" Lucy shouted in anger, making the two boys flinch in fright "We're in the middle of a bloody war for crying out loud!"

"Aye!" Happy agreed as he looked at the demons and corpses that was surrounding them.

"All right let's get this show on the road" Gray smirked as he flicked with his wrist and instantaneously froze a small group of growling corpses. The same moment that happened Erza let out a battle cry as she jumped into the air with her sword raised behind her. Once she was close enough she swung it downwards, making the ice containing the corpses crack. After that she started continuously slicing the ice, until it was more than cubes on the ground.

At the same time Natsu was busy taking care of another group of demons that was storming in their direction, making him take a deep breath before yelling "Fire Dragon's roar" which caused the demons to be drowned in the hot inferno.

"Yosh!" he smirked to himself obviously feeling triumphant. That was until the demons emerged from the fire, totally unharmed from the attack.

Seeing this Lucy quickly pressed one of her keys against her chest before saying "Star Dress Sagittarius from" before she started shooting arrows in the demons direction. Unfortunately it didn't seem to have any effect either, as the arrows just bounced off their scales.

A sigh escaped Gray as he flicked with his wrist towards the approaching demons, drowning them in a huge amount of ice.

"Now that was easy" the ice mage smiled, but regretted saying that statement when he saw the ice starting to steam. Evidently the attack from Natsu had made their scales so warm, that they were somehow capable of melting the ice and before they knew it they were fast approaching again, quickly closing the gap between them turning it into a hand to hand combat.

"Tsch!" Natsu snorted as fire spawned around his hand before he slammed it against one of the demons while yelling " Fire Dragon's Iron Fist"

"Ice Devil's Zeroth Long Sword" Gray called before a huge sword spawned in his hand, making him slash at his opponents, making spiky ice form where he cut the creatures.

 _Well it seemed like they could handle the situation_ , Lucy thought to herself as she turned her head to look in Erza's direction. Currently the scarlet haired woman was in her Wingblade Armor, therefore she was protected by the massive swords that was on her back. Furthermore Erza made some of the swords fly into the air, striking the cackling corpses that came close enough to her blades.

Analysing the fight, Lucy quickly figured out that the only way to kill these creatures was beheading them, because simply cutting them only made them snarl even louder. However they didn't even flinch when that happened, making it clear they felt no physical pain as they kept moving unaffected in their direction.

"Lucy watch out!" Happy shouted making her spin around on her heels where she spotted a huge demon who was way bigger than the small ones Gray and Natsu was currently fighting against. This one was incredibly tall, his skin looking like it was build out of multiple stones. Furthermore his eyes was glistening red while his mouth was open, revealing extremely long and sharp teeth that was dripping with saliva.

A roar escaped the demon as it raised a claw behind it's head, preparing to strike her, but since she had received the warning from Happy Lucy easily dodged the attack by sidestepping away, making the demon's claw hit thin air before it slammed the ground.

"Taurus form!" Lucy yelled as she pressed the key against her chest before finding another key and summoning Scorpio.

"Yeah!" the spirit shouted as he made his characteristic hand signs, before reading the situation and getting into serious mode.

"Let's do this!" Lucy shouted as she clenched her fist and delivered a powerful hit to the demon's jaw and as she did Scorpio fired his Sand Spear, making a beam of sand fly in their opponents direction. Once the sand hit the demon, he was knocked backwards making him stagger on his feet.

The sight made Lucy feel somewhat hopeful, but that feeling soon vanished when she saw the sand that had hit the demon, started to melt turning into glistening droplets before falling to the ground.

"Shit!" she cursed instantly knowing her spirit wasn't a good opponent against this guy "Scorpio, please go back"

He didn't answer or reject her wish, but did what he was told and vanished into the spiritual world.

 _Which spirit did she have that could work against this guy? Something who could use cold things would be optimal, but who?_

An image of Aquarius momentarily flashed inside her mind, making her bite her lip as she dodged another attack from the demon, as she bend down her knees, his claw flying inches above her head.

 _Come on Lucy think!_ Through the corner of her eye she spotted Erza who was clearly struggling with her own opponents. However as the scarlet haired woman killed the incoming creatures, she had started moving further away from her as she pursued the enemy.

Quickly she looked in Gray and Natsu's direction and it looked like they too had gotten much further away from her as they kept pushing their opponents. With that said it didn't look they had found the right strategy to kill the small demons. Besides that Happy had joined the two boys, making it painfully clear she was on her own at the moment.

Which was really bad because she could really use Gray's ice moulding magic at the moment.

"Tsch!" a droplet of sweat trailed down her forehead, as she spun around on her heels using that as a momentum to sucker punch the demon's belly, hoping the force behind it would move upwards thereby making her opponent lose the air in it's lungs. That didn't seem to happen though, in fact it probably hurt her more because all of a sudden the demon's skin was burning like it was solid fire.

"Ugh!" she groaned in pain while bouncing backwards, where the celestial mage took a second to look at her knuckles which was covered in some nasty burn marks.

 _Well no wonder why it hurt so fucking much, huh?_

But what could she do against such an opponent? She didn't have a spirit that could use cold elements and a lot of her spirits used hand to hand attacks and she obviously couldn't summon those. Of course she could summon Sagittarius, but since his arrows was made of wood it was highly plausible they would catch on fire when they tried to pierce the demon.

 _Aries? No wool and fire was a really bad combo. Perhaps Virgo..?_

Lucy was interrupted in her thought as the snarling demon once more tried hitting her, but fortunately she managed to dodge it by throwing herself down on the ground and roll around on her back.

Not wanting to be caught of guard Lucy quickly got back on her feet where she stood glaring at the demon who once again hit the ground with a clenched fist. This time however the earth turned into a red looking liquid, that was steaming with heat.

"Lava..." Lucy whispered feeling horror struck as she quickly scanned her surroundings hoping to find someone from her team to call out to, but apparently they were all out of hearing distance.

There was no other choice but for her to do this alone, until the others finished their own fights.

Growling the demon launched itself towards her but she once more managed to dodge, as she quickly sidestepped away. Unfortunately her opponent turned around once it was behind her and grabbed her arm with it's hot claws.

It hurt like nothing she had ever felt before, making her suck in her breath before biting down her lip. For some reason she didn't want to scream. Maybe it was because her instincts told her the creature would like it, or perhaps she didn't want to seem defenceless and weak. No matter what it was, her determination prevented her from opening her mouth to make the pain she felt audible.

The nasty smell of her skin getting burned suddenly reached her nostrils and instinctively she used her free arm to knock the demon with her elbow, burning that area as well once it collided with the hot scales. It wasn't a hard attack but it was apparently enough to make her opponent loosen his grip on her, which she used as an opportunity to squirm and get free from the hold. Once that was done she quickly jumped away from the demon, where she took a second to glare at her arm where markings of the demons claws was displayed with horrible burn marks.

It hurt like nothing she had ever felt before. Of course she had received a burn mark before, but this was on another level completely, because it was like her skin was constantly prickling and burning. Actually it somewhat made her feel nauseous, making a metallic tasting saliva spawn in her mouth.

Not that she had time to dwell on that because the demon was fast approaching again, making her grab the handle of her whip calling forth the magic she needed to turn it into Fleuve d'etoiles making light erupt all around it.

"Ahhh!" she shouted while bringing down the whip to the ground making it rupture into a wave that was sent flying towards her opponent. As it did the demon was momentarily occupied as the rocks hit him. He didn't move though but stood completely still, as the rocks turned into liquid from the heat radiating from the demon. She didn't know this but since rock was the demon's element, it was easy for him to turn it into liquid.

An idea formed in Lucy's head as she used her whip and in a quick movement brought it downwards, before it wrapped around the demon's arm, hoping inside that it wouldn't damage her whip.

At first look it didn't seem so, encouraging the blonde to start turning around on her feet making the demon airborne and fly in a circle above her head. After a few seconds of doing this she motioned the whip downwards, making her opponent crash loudly against the ground.

"I can do this!" Lucy said in determination before she saw a glistening light beside her, indicating a certain spirit was summoning himself and was about to crash the party.

"Princess" Loke winked at her "Why didn't you call me sooner?"

"This isn't the sort of fight I wanted you to join" she answered but kinda felt glad he was there.

"He's coming" the celestial spirit said in a serious tone, the demon running at a high pace before he closed the distance between them making both of them jump to the side, thereby dodging the incoming attack.

Loke clenched his fist and was seconds away from delivering his attack, when Lucy slammed a hand against his chest.

"You can't touch him, his body is like solid fire" she warned making the spirit eye her up and down, before they had to once more avoid another attack.

"I see..." Loke said a hint of darkness shining in his eyes "I understand..."

"Loke..." Lucy whispered noticing the fury that was radiating from her spirit.

"And he dared harm your beautiful skin like that. It's unforgivable!" he growled as light started to surround him, before jumping high into the air his clenched fist behind him.

"Don't!" she tried once more, but it was too late, her spirit was already using all of his physical strength combined with his regulus, to smash the demon multiple times.

For some reason the demon didn't do anything, but stood like it was confident that the attacks wouldn't do anything.

 _What to do, what to do?!_ Lucy thought to herself as she watched Loke's hands becoming more and more burned to the point they were dripping with blood.

"Stop it!" using her whip she caught the demon's arm again, this time she motioned to the side making the opponent follow the motion and fly sideways.

"You idiot!" she screamed before running over to the spirit who looked slightly guilty.

"I'm sorry..." he smirked "Guess I got carried away there, huh?"

"Yeah d'uuuh" Lucy raised her eyebrow before looking at his hands, taking in the damage on them.

"Don't look at me like that" Loke chuckled in a warm tone "All it does is confirm why you're gonna be my future wife"

"This is serious!" she stomped with her foot clearly angry at her spirit.

"Yeah I know" he sighed before pointing in the demon's direction "However it looks like my attack had an effect on him"

"What?" Lucy looked too and was surprised to see the stone looking skin was shattered in multiple places. Which could only mean that all though his body was extremely hot and strong, being hit multiple times in the same place was his weakness. The problem was it would do too much damage on either of them to do such a thing.

A ferocious growl escaped the demon's mouth and for some reason his movement speed had increased a lot, making him rush at them at such a fast pace they didn't get time to react before it was too late and the demon had smashed his claw against Loke, making him skid backwards. After that the claw wrapped around Lucy's leg, making her scream in pain before she was smashed against the ground, knocking the air out of her lungs.

"Lucy!" the spirit shouted but before he got a chance to get to her the demon was in front of him, slashing with his sharp claws.

"Loke!" the celestial mage shouted in horror when she gained enough oxygen to speak, making her try desperately to get back on her feet, which was rather hard because of the huge burn mark on her leg.

"Stop worrying I'll be fine" the spirit said in a confident tone, even though he was far from doing good, because he was having a really hard time trying to dodge the attacks.

"Please stop..." Lucy narrowed her eyes feeling sad as she kept trying to stagger back on her feet "... you need to go back, I'll handle this somehow"

"No" Loke said in determination as he continued fighting.

"Please!" she shook her head as the demon delivered more and more wounds to her spirit.

"What kind of spirit would I be if I left you alone?" he smiled towards her.

It was only for a second his attention was distracted, but it was enough for the demon to use his claw to slash it downwards leaving a huge wound that immediately started spattering blood all over the place.

"LOKE!" she shouted and watched in horror as he started to disappear and vanish into the spirit world.

"I'm sorry... Lucy..." he said in a sad tone before the last pieces of his existence vanished into the other world.

Horror struck Lucy everything seemed to freeze for a second. As it did the pain in her body seemed to vanish before she clumsily got up on her feet. All though she knew Loke would be fine, it was still terrible to see her friend getting beat up like that and because of that something inside of her started to burn. It was nothing like she had ever felt before, not to this extend. All of her other senses seemed to vanish, making everything even her rationality vanish. The only thing that was rummaging in her head was a sense of vengeance and anger.

 _Blood rush..._

A scream filled with pain and anger escaped her lips as Lucy ran as fast as she could towards her opponent, where she started continuously hitting the demon.

High on adrenaline Lucy didn't even bother to dodge the demons burning claws, but just kept hitting her opponent. While she did that, she didn't notice how the rock looking skin started to splinter and fall off slowly making the demon's body start to crumble. Nope, she was too busy hitting him with her blood soaked and burned fists to notice anything but the rush of unrestricted fury that was rummaging through her body.

Growling, the celestial mage delivered a hard punch to the demon's stomach which send a massive shock wave through him making the stones crack loudly, before they started to grumble and fall apart landing in a huge pile on the ground.

Lucy had won the fight but it still wasn't enough. No, it was not nearly enough!

Not thinking straight she kept hitting the leftovers until it started turning into a bunch of pebbles, that got mixed with her blood as she kept crunching it.

"You did well" a deep and hoarse voice spoke from behind her "It's time you stop"

"Unforgivable..." Lucy whispered with a hint of madness in her voice "... unforgivable"

"Girl you need to stop" the man said and even though she knew deep down he was right, she couldn't do that. The energy was still rushing through her system preventing her from being rational.

The man stopped saying anything or maybe he left her alone to do whatever she wanted. It didn't matter really to her what he did, because her main priority was smashing those god damn rocks.

"Lucy, you need to stop" a different voice said all of a sudden.

"Unforgivable..." the celestial mage smirked her eyes widening and looking slightly insane.

"Please stop" a pair of hands caught her wrists, thereby forcefully stopping her from hitting the rocks.

Panting Lucy sat completely motionless as the anger started to vanish, making her more aware of the situation she was in.

 _What was she doing?_ The blonde thought as she took in the blurry vision of the bloody rocks on the ground. _What... what happened?_

"Are you okay? You back with us yet?" the person spoke in a gentle tone.

"Ye-yeah..." Lucy blinked as the world started to become more focused, but as it did she also became more aware of the pain from her multiple wounds.

"You sure?"

Slowly she turned her head and was surprised to see Natsu looking at her with a mixture of emotions on his face. Anger, sorrow and fear... it was all there, making her feel guilty all of a sudden.

"I..." she sucked in her breath as the pain in her body started to become more dominant, pulsating through her body like she was being torn apart. As it did a layer of sweat started spawning on her body, making her shake uncontrollably.

Everything around her started to blur again, as she tried her best to focus on her breathing and try her best to fight against the agony that was reaching higher and higher levels.

Her skin was prickling and burning in the most sickening way, that it made her feel nauseas and dizzy. The wounds from the claws wasn't that bad, actually she could barely notice it compared to the burn marks.

"It hurts... it hurts so much..." she whispered as tears started streaming down her face "I'm sorry..."

Not answering or saying anything the Dragon Slayer quickly scooped her into his arms and started running.

"I... I can't..." Lucy said in a voice that was barely audible, because she was struggling to breathe and starting to hyperventilate.

"You need to stay with me you hear?!" Natsu shouted down to her "You need to stay conscious and fight it"

"It hurts..."

"I know but if you don't fight it your body might go into shock" he sounded almost desperate but didn't slow down, as he kept rushing through the fighting groups.

"I did it..." she whispered and smirked.

"Yeah you did, you were amazing" he answered sounding somewhat proud "Now try to focus on your breathing and stay with me okay?"

Nodding Lucy did as she was told trying her best to fight her own body and the devastating pain she was feeling.

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

The Dragon Slayer watched in horror as Lucy and Loke fought against and it was painfully clear that they were struggling.

 _Fuck!_ Natsu thought as he simultaneously delivered a roundhouse kick to an approaching demon.

He had occasionally followed her fight from the distance and wanted nothing more than to go to her side. However that was impossible right now since the demons was attacking them without mercy, nor did they reveal what their weakness could be. They had tried everything on them, force, magic, tactic but nothing worked. It was like they were indestructible somehow and it honestly pissed him off.

 _Stupid retarded Zeref and his creations!_

If only they could figure it out so he could go help Lucy fight the big demon. His eyes darted to Erza who looked like she was feeling the same way, but couldn't do anything as the numbers of corpses didn't lessen but seemed to increase with each she took down.

"Tsch!" he spat in annoyance not liking the burn marks that was already visible on the celestial mage.

"Come on focus!" Gray shouted to him "We can't find their weakness if you keep getting distracted"

"I know but..."

"I'm concerned as well" the ice mage said as he slashed against a demon, making it snarl back at him "However we can't do anything for her right now, other than have faith she'll manage somehow"

"Yeah..." Natsu said in a grumpy voice as he rushed against a demon, slamming one of his hands against the enemy while supporting his arm with his other hand "Fire Dragon's Grip Strike!"

Fire shot out of his hand, making the opponent stumble backwards and away from him.

"Happy!" Gray said to the cat as he came back from dropping another demon from a high altitude, hoping that would do the trick and harm them.

"Aye?!" the cat answered.

"I know this is sudden, but can you go search for Wendy?" the ice mage said as he wiped his forehead.

"Why? You guys look fine?" Happy asked.

"Because the idiot over there can't focus when he's fucking worried" Gray sighed as he spun around and slammed his sword against yet another demon.

"Shut the hell up!" Natsu snarled feeling somewhat insulted.

"Aye sir!" Happy saluted before flying away on his mission.

Taking a deep breath the Dragon Slayer fought more eagerly against the enemy somewhere feeling relieved that they would soon have a healer on their side.

He didn't know how much time passed by before an intense scream filled with pain and anger suddenly emerged from the celestial mage. Horror struck Natsu glanced in her direction and was surprised to see her go all out against her opponent. Actually it looked like she was ignoring the wounds that was being inflicted on her.

 _Ohhh._.. Natsu thought as he realised what was going on. _Ohhh yeah he knew that feeling all too well... But there was nothing he could do about it, nothing at all! Fucking useless son of a bitch._

Because of his contradicting feelings he didn't manage to dodge a demon in time, before it sank large teeth into the meat of his arm, making him growl in pain, as blood started streaming down his arm.

"Like heck I ain't your lunch!" thoroughly annoyed he made fire engulf his free hand "Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"

The force behind the hit was enough to send the demon flying off into the air, where it vanished in the distance.

"If any of you want a snack then bring it on! I'll deliver you so many punches, you'll wish you didn't have seconds!" he spat in anger and once more engaged in the fight.

Natsu was about to deliver a kick to a demon when it suddenly turned into a million pieces. It only took a second for him to realise what was going on making him spin around on his feet to great the person who had arrived.

"Gildarts!" he shouted with a smile.

"Yo!" the older mage said "I'm here to save your bacon"

"... what...?" the Dragon Slayer asked in a confused tone, not understanding why the other mage was talking about food all of a sudden.

"You need to go to her" Gildarts said in a serious tone "I couldn't stop her, but maybe you can"

Natsu didn't need to know who he was referring to as his eyes darted over to the celestial mage who was continuously hitting the ground underneath her, clearly out of her own mind and not capable to stop the blood rush that was still controlling her actions.

"Thanks" Natsu said before darting over to the girl and stopped her from hurting herself more.

The sight of her being so messed up physically and mentally was utterly painful, but hopefully Happy was successful and had found a healer. Not that he would patiently wait for him to come back, nope he had to do anything he could to find someone who could heal the blonde. After all the hyperventilation along with her pale and damp body clearly indicated that the burn marks was pretty serious, and because of that Lucy was dehydrated and needed both water but also something to take the agonising pain she was feeling.

"Shit!" Natsu cursed while running and jumping over the enemies as he continued his pursuit.

 _Come on, someone, anyone!_ Thinking that he spotted two things flying above the crowd and he immediately recognised Carla in her human form carrying, Wendy while Happy flew beside them.

"Happy!" shouting his name he hoped to catch the cat's attention as he sprinted in their direction.

It didn't take long before they heard him calling and soon they united with each other.

"Wendy thank god you're here" Natsu said as they found a somewhat secluded place where it was possible for the girl to heal Lucy without being disturbed by the fighting groups. When they did the Dragon Slayer gently placed the girl on the ground, Wendy quickly starting to heal the blonde.

"She's gonna be fine right?" he asked with a hint of concern.

"Yeah, it might take a while though" her glistening hands hovered over Lucy's body scanning how severe the wounds was "Carla can you give her some water?"

The Exceed nodded and found a bottle in her bag, she gently pushed against the celestial mage's mouth encouraging her to drink.

Wanting to go back to the fight but also wanting to make sure Lucy was healed, Natsu stood up and took a protective stance ready to strike if anyone was foolish enough to interrupt the healer while she was doing her job.

Happy did the same thing as he found a huge piece of would and stood beside the Dragon Slayer, ready to smack anything or anyone that got too close.

Unfortunately for the Dragon Slayer no one came close to them, which was rather frustrating because he really wanted to blow off some steam. It did help though when he could hear Lucy's breathing was starting to become more regular behind him.

Not sure how much time passed by, he just watched impatiently at the fights kept raging right in front of him. Well that was until he heard the blonde moan behind him, making him spin around on the spot.

"Lucy?" Wendy said in a caring tone "Can you hear me?"

"Mmm..." she nodded before opening her eyes "... yes"

"Good!" Wendy smiled brightly "I healed most of your wounds, but they might still be a bit sore"

"Ohh... thank you" Lucy smiled as she sluggishly got into a sitting position.

"You good?" Natsu asked as he kneeled down next to her where he eyed her carefully to make sure she was indeed okay.

"Yeah... thanks" she smiled towards him "Sorry for worrying you"

"Tsch as if..." he pouted a small blush on his cheeks "Anyhow Wendy, is Lucy good to go?"

"I believe so, yes" the healer nodded "She just needs a moment to rest, then she should be perfectly fine"

"Excellent!" he smiled wickedly revealing his teeth while staring at Lucy.

"Uhm... what?" she said sounding uncomfortable.

"It'll take about five minutes to get back to our group" a dark chuckle escaped his lips as he in a swift movement placed his arms underneath the blonde and lifted her body.

"I can walk on my own you know" Lucy said with a hint of annoyance in her voice.

"Nope!" he shook his head "Wendy's orders, this way you can rest while we travel"

"That's brilliant" the healer giggled.

"It's puu~uurfect" Happy sang teasingly.

"You guys are enjoying this waaay to much" Natsu's eyebrows twitched in annoyance "Anyhow

thanks for healing her"

"You're welcome, I'll see you later" Wendy said and waved with her hand before taking off with Carla.

"Yeah later" he said in return before taking off towards their own destination.

None of them said anything, but there was something that was starting to bother the Dragon Slayer as he kept running.

"Hey Luce?"

"Yeah?"

"When you fought that demon, you noticed that something cold would probably be good against him right?"

"I did" she confirmed.

"Then... why didn't you summon Aquarius?"

He noticed that her body stiffened for a second, before she let out a huge sigh.

"I... couldn't" Lucy answered in a low voice.

"Why not?" Natsu enquired feeling curious "I mean I know there isn't that much water around but I'm sure you could find something somewhere"

"That wasn't the problem..."

"Then why not? She would be the perfect spirit to use in that situation"

"I... I just couldn't okay?" her voice was quivering indicating Lucy was really emotional for some reason.

"Okay..." he reluctantly said, knowing there was more to the story than she wanted to share at the moment. Whatever it was it was something deep and painful, which he didn't want to force upon her especially not during the circumstances they were in right now.

Natsu would get the story eventually though, even if he had to force it out of her.

* * *

 **A/N:** It takes forever to create them fiiiighting scenes, but it's fun to make them. I mean it's like I'm playing a videogame in my head and then describing it on paper. It's kinda neat but also hard work so it's gonna take some time creating the chapters. Also there will be other person's POV because I want to play with other characters and see their potential in battle.

Anyhow, hope you guys have a nice day :)

/Hejmdal


	25. Chapter 25

**Disclaimer:** Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima

 _ **ACT V: Ragnarok – The Fateful Encounter**_

 _ **Approximately X793**_

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

 **Chapter 25: Downhill**

Acnologia felt frustrated and annoyed when the dark mage, for some bizarre reason pulled him away from his place in front of his filthy army, to a more isolated spot away from the war. It wasn't so far away that he couldn't see the fight, but it was evidently enough to make the two of them somewhat unnoticeable.

The mighty dragon barely got time to react against Zeref, before he found himself at this place which was annoying in itself, but the thing that really infuriated him was the fact that this puny creature had taken the liberty to remove HIM to a place HE didn't want to be.

"Tsch!" Acnologia snorted in anger before looking down on the dark mage "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you right here and now"

"You couldn't kill me even if you wanted to" Zeref smirked playfully, making the humanised dragon clench his fist in anger.

"I don't have time to waste on this foolishness" Acnologia snarled impatiently "I'm here to see humanity die, no I want the ground drenched with their blood while they scream in agony"

"That's why I brought you this" Zeref reached inside his clothes and found a bottle filled with black liquid "This will give your army an advantage"

"What?"

"You just need to open this bottle and command it to go to your army" Zeref said as he gently stroked the bottle as if he was caressing it.

"As if I would fall for such an obvious trap" Acnologia growled "You puny insignificant insect"

"Ohhh but I'm not" Zeref smiled almost knowingly "You see your army over there and how they are so easily slaughtered, when the humans remove their heads?"

"What of it?" the humanised dragon narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

"This is a little leftover I had from when I created my own army" the dark mage shook the bottle "It's an elixir that makes the things it touches harder to kill. Since my army is already a living thing it resulted in them having almost indestructible scales, all though they do have some minor flaws"

"And now you're offering it to me?" Acnologia eyed the bottle carefully "Why?"

"I'm curious what would happen, when it's used on creatures that has no soul, but are basically corpses walking around. Besides I want to make this war more interesting by adding more fuel to the fight"

"I see..." the humanised dragon licked his lips, knowing that if this worked it would earn him more of that delicious screaming, he was so fond of.

"Take it" Zeref offered the bottle to Acnologia who accepted it with a grunt.

"Just so you know, if this is a trap I will kill you without mercy" the humanised dragon said while staring intensely at the dark haired mage.

"Yeah, yeah I know..." Zeref said in a bored voice.

"Make sure you do..." Acnologia said and was about to leave the small mage when he suddenly heard a female cry in pain.

 _Ohh how absolutely delightful! Yes... a female scream combined with sweet scent of burnt flesh..._

 _More... he needed more like that..._

Taking a step forwards a sickening and slightly insane smile suddenly played on Acnologia's lips.

 _He would see humanity fall... HE the mighty dragon KING would eliminate them all and it would be so glorious._

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

Cana was throwing her cards, using them as projectiles at the approaching demons, momentarily knocking some of them backwards. Unfortunately it didn't seem to have any effect on them other than that, making the mage snort in annoyance.

"Mest, have any ideas how to deal with these things?" she asked the other mage, who turned his head to look at her.

"Unfortunately not" Mest said before he slammed a clenched fist against a growling demon and easily dodged another one, who was about to sink it's teeth into his leg.

"I'm so sorry for leaving you all of a sudden!" Wendy's voice called as she somehow managed to run in a somewhat straight line towards them, with Carla following close behind her in her human form.

"It's fine" Cana smiled at the girl while grabbing three cards from her deck, combining them in her hand "Summoning lightning!"

The woman called before green lightning shot towards the demon's making them snarl in what sounded like pain.

"I noticed something on the way here" Wendy said as she took a fighting stance besides the older mage.

"So did I" Carla nodded to herself before raising her tiny clenched fists.

"What?" Mest asked, his eyes shining with affection as he looked at the blue haired girl.

"The human... things" the healer said in a disgusted tone "and uhm... the demons... it looks like they are moving in groups"

"What do you mean? Hang on we need some space..." Cana asked as she picked two specific cards in her hand, before waving her free hand in the demons direction "Wind Edge!"

As a wave of wind shot from the brown haired woman's arm, Wendy sucked in her breath before calling.

"Sky Dragon's Roar!"

The combined wind attack escalated in power as it sent rocks flying as the attack raced towards their opponents, making them skid backwards a few feet, where they stood snarling and growling.

"So what did you mean Wendy?" Cana asked before looking at the tiny girl.

"Well it's like the demons and the... humans... doesn't mix with each other. It's like they are ignoring each other, as they fight their own opponents"

"I see..." the brown haired woman nodded "... that might be a good thing, since they aren't joining forces"

"Perhaps it's their instinct. I mean the demon's aren't really humans so maybe the corpses are going after the thing they can relate too somehow, based on their previous life. The demon's might think the same and wants to fight something that's alive" Mest voiced his opinion.

"Sounds plausible" Cana agreed "However I don't see how this knowledge can help us"

"Even if it isn't much it's still something" Carla shrugged as she looked at the demons who was fast approaching them again "It looks like our times up"

Cana didn't say anything to that because a second later, she was busy once more fighting the annoying opponent.

They had to figure out what their weakness was and soon, because right now they we're being more and more drained from continuously using magic to fight and evade the creatures.

If they didn't find a solution, the situation could easily turn out really, really bad.

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

"Levy watch out!" Gajeel shouted as he watched a cackling corpse reach it's nasty hands towards the blue haired girl's shoulders.

"Ohh!" she gasped in surprise before bending her knees and jumping away from the enemy, before she stood up up straight, waving her finger in the air "Solid Script Guard!"

A huge wall summoned in front of the corpse, making it collide with it. For some reason the opponent seemed confused by this and kept walking into the wall, still making that weird inhuman sound as it continued with it's silly attempt to get to her.

"Levy should be more careful" Juvia said while spawning some water, she used to slice a few heads off, that fell to the ground with a low thud. Being separated from their life support the rest of the bodies fell down as well, making blood spatter all around them.

"You're so violent Juvia" Gajeel smirked towards the water mage.

"Juvia just wants to go to Gray as soon as possible" she sulked as tears suddenly streamed down her face,

"Yeah, yeah whatever..." Gajeel said in a somewhat grumpy voice "Iron Dragon's Sword" he said, thereby turning his right arm into a huge and spiky sword that he used to slice the corpses.

"Is it just me, or does this seem to easy?" Lily said as he swiped his sword downwards to remove the blood on it, before he chopped another head off.

"You're right.." the iron Dragon Slayer agreed "... for some reason I've got this feeling in my gut, that the idiotic dragon and Zeref has something up their sleeves and I ain't liking it"

Gajeel couldn't explain why, but ever since they started fighting against the corpses, he had this weird feeling in the back of his mind that something wasn't right.

Hopefully it was just his imagination, because even though Zeref and Acnologia hadn't joined the battle yet, it was quite evident that everyone was struggling.

Things weren't going so well and if things continued like this, the situation could easily become rather dire for them.

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

Elfman was roaring in anger as he used his bestial arm to slam against a demon, that made it growl in fury but otherwise didn't take any damage.

Turning his head he noticed that Mirajane and Lisanna was also struggling with their fights, trying their best to be offensive against the incoming attacks. However they couldn't keep just dodging the creatures, they had to figure out how to destroy them.

It was odd really, because Mirajane shouldn't be struggling so much against a demonic race and heck these were only minions compared to the bigger ones. They needed a battle plan and soon, because if this was getting them nowhere way too fast.

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

In contradiction to the teams fighting demons, Laxus, Evergreen, Freed and Bickslow was almost having it too easy in their fight against the corpses. It was just off with their heads and then the enemy was dead.

"Ewww, this is soooo gross!" Evergreen complained earning a stern look from the lightning mage.

"Ever, this isn't the time to worry about your clothes getting dirty" Laxus said in a somewhat annoyed tone.

Of course the woman was right about it being a mess, because when they separated the two body parts on the corpses, it would send a vast amount of blood spouting all over the area and on themselves.

Not that it disgusted Laxus or anything, but the ground was slowly starting to get more slippery as they kept fighting and the pool on the ground grew.

 _What an annoying situation..._

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

"Oy! Erza!" Natsu shouted as they got back to her and joined her fight against the corpses.

"Welcome back" Erza smiled but immediately froze when she saw the Dragon Slayer was carrying Lucy.

"What's wrong with you?" Natsu asked as he placed Lucy on the ground in order to slam his leg against a corpse, that was seconds away from biting Erza.

"Ohh I'm sorry" the scarlet haired mage shook her head, a small blush on her cheeks "I was just unaware and surprised that you finally reached a step further in your relationship"

"The heck are you on about?" Natsu growled impatiently, clearly not understanding the hint.

"It's not like that at all!" Lucy interrupted as she waved her hands frantically in front of her.

"If you say so" Erza smirked knowingly before engaging in the battle again.

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

Gray Gildarts and Happy was actually doing pretty well against the demons, especially because the older mage could use his magic to dissolve the enemy into cubes. They didn't know this, but at the moment they were the only team that was succeeding in dealing with them.

"We can do this!" Gray roared as he flicked with his wrist, freezing a bunch of demons to the ground, Gildarts a second later took care of with his attack.

"I like your spirit kid" the older mage smiled to himself when he suddenly felt a viscous aura not that far away from them and of course it didn't take long for him to recognise it as Acnologia

"Where is he?" Gildarts wondered while he searched the battlefield with his eyes. It didn't take long before he found the dragon in humanised form standing alone in what could easily be the centre of the entire fight.

"Humans!" the man raised a bottle that contained something black "The time has come for you to die, so let me hear more of those delicious screams as your pathetic lives comes to an end!"

"What is he doing?" Happy wondered, because for some reason all the fighting had stopped when Acnologia's voice was carried across the battlefield.

"I have a bad feeling about this..." Gildarts said in a low voice as he watched the humanised dragon smash the bottle against the ground.

"Go! Go to my filthy army at once!" Acnologia laughed hysterically before transforming into his dragon form only to fly above them all, ready to deliver his powerful attacks.

A terrified scream from Lucy made Gildarts turn his head to see what was going on and honest to good his heart felt like it stopped for a second, as he watched in horror how the dark material from the bottle seemed to enter all the corpses, even the ones that Erza had already taken care of.

As it did the heads on the ground started to grow, until they had a fully functional body again. It was the same with the headless bodies, that suddenly had a fresh mug on the top.

And with that simple gesture from Acnologia the dead army was suddenly an even stronger force.

"Damn..." Gildarts sank as an image of Cana entered his mind "Gray, Happy I'm sorry but I gotta make sure my daughter is alright"

Not waiting for their response the older mage sprinted out of there, his head filled with concern for his offspring.

* * *

 **A/N:** Hi there, long time no see ;)

Anyhow this chapter sort of functioned as an introduction chapter to reveal some of the teams and where they are at the moment. With that said, I know there are a lot of people I haven't included yet, but it'll come later on.

So yeah... I'm gonna introduce some people, but I can't promise I'll return to all of them because that would consume all my energy and passion for this story (like seriously there are sooooo many characters, lol).

Other than that I haven't really felt like typing lately. I don't know why, maybe it's because I just want to get on with the fun stuff instead of this... introduction stuff... it's boring to type -.-'

Anyway I'm gonna go eat some ice cream, my throat hurts like... ngh...

Take care! :)

/Hejmdal


	26. Chapter 26

**Disclaimer:** Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima

* * *

 _ **ACT V: Ragnarok – The Faithful Encounter**_

 _ **Approximately X793**_

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

 **Chapter 26: Dragon Slayers, part 1**

Jellal spotted a corpse merely seconds away from strangling Millianna, making him sprint in her direction before he delivered a roundhouse kick directly into the zombie's stomach, which sent it flying backwards.

The girl quickly turned her head and looked in his direction and started stuttering, before she dodged an incoming attack from one of the foes she was currently fighting.

Not saying anything Jellal smirked before he started running away from the team of girls consisting of Kagura, Millianna, Beth and Risley. Sure he could stay and help, but it looked like they were somewhat in control of the situation. Besides his job just like the rest of his guild was to support the teams that really needed it. So with that in mind he raced through the battlefield, occasionally dealing some helpful hits to the incoming enemies. Sometimes he would stay and try his best to try putting up a strategy that would ensure that the enemies would stay down, but unfortunately he had no idea how to slay them.

 _Not yet anyway..._

Hopefully he would reach some sort of conclusion soon, because it didn't seem like the corpses nor the demons had any weaknesses. It was weird... too weird actually in a bad way, because if this continued the alliance of humans would exhaust themselves, making them incredibly vulnerable to the incoming attacks.

To make matters worse Acnologia had taken flight and was about to start spewing attacks on them, which would make it hard to dodge and fight at the same time. Well knowing some certain individuals it shouldn't take long before the dragon had his claws full.

Jellal scratched his jaw before he started smiling almost teasingly.

 _If only he had time to watch that showdown himself. He would love seeing that idiotic dragon getting his butt kicked until tears of despair was flowing down his scaly chins._

"He's gonna cry and call out for his mum" Jellal whispered before he started chuckling at his own silly joke.

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

 _This was honest to god, seriously annoying!_

Natsu thought to himself as a roar escaped his lips before he swung his elbow into the chest of one of the snarling corpses.

Ever since Acnologia had disposed of that magical liquid the corpses kept multiplying whenever they removed a body part. It could be anything really, because a finger was enough to make a corpse grow until it was a functioning body again. The situation was quite dire and it was fucking frustrating because he wanted to go kick the stupid dragon's ass.

His eyes momentarily darted towards the dragon, which resulted in him not seeing a male corpse coming from behind him before he felt its teeth digging into his shoulder, earning a painful groan to escape his mouth, before he spun around on his feet and smacked his clenched fist against the thing's jaw.

"I thought I told you this already, I'm NOT a freaking snack for you to munch on!" he shouted while growling in anger.

Inwardly cursing the Dragon Slayer took a moment to look at the bite mark on his shoulder which caused him to curse even more, when he saw his punctuated skin and the blood that was starting to stream down his arm.

"Tsch!" snorting Natsu was about to slam his hand against another corpse, when multiple blue swords suddenly pierced the enemies around him, before he got a chance to hit anything.

"You should pay more attention" Meredy said from somewhere behind him, making him turn around to greet her.

"Ey! Thanks man" he smirked before sending her a thumbs up.

"It's good to see you" Erza stated in her stoic voice while continuing to battle her own opponents.

"Yes..." Lucy nodded but didn't turn around because she was too busy being in a hand to hand while wearing her Taurus star dress, that earned her more forceful attacks.

"Uh-huh" sounding indifferent Meredy spawned more swords that was sent in the corpses that was surrounding the celestial mage "Lucy I need a favour from you so can you get over here"

"I uhm... sure" the blonde muttered in return before leaping over to the girl, who was succeeding in holding the corpses back.

"What is it?" Lucy asked while glaring in concern at the Dragon Slayer who didn't notice anything. Nope, he was only seconds away from rushing over to aid Erza, but before he managed to do that there was a hand on his shoulder making him flinch since it was placed directly on his newly acquired wound.

"Argh what gives?!" he spat defiantly at Meredy who sighed clearly annoyed about the pink haired kid.

"You wanna take care of the dragon right?" the girl tilted her head in Acnologia's direction "But before that, Lucy can you do something about this idiot's wound, before we let him go?"

"Oy, who are you calling an idiot?!" Natsu's eyebrows twitched in anger as he glared daggers in Meredy's direction.

"Yeah sure" Lucy said from beside him, before he felt her grabbing his shoulder "Uhm, can you raise your arm a bit?"

Not answering he did what he was told and felt how the celestial mage very gently wrapped his shoulder, making him blush as he glared into the distance where he suddenly spotted a blue dot flying in his direction, which he soon recognised as Happy.

"Natsuuuuu" the cat yelled when he was in hearing distance.

"Happy!" he shouted in return, smiling widely because this meant there was a way for him to get closer to the dragon.

"All done" Lucy said as she finished her job and sent the Dragon Slayer a radiating smile.

"Thanks" he smiled in return as he flexed his arm, feeling glad that Lucy had done a good job in bandaging his arm.

"Are you okay?" the cat asked in concern when he spotted the blood that was trailing down his arm, from the wound that was now wrapped in cloth.

"Yeah I'm fine, don't worry about it"

"This isn't the time to chit chat so if you're done, you should get your ass out of here already!" Meredy snapped in annoyance, making Natsu, Happy and Lucy flinch by her unrestricted fury.

"... right" the Dragon Slayer nodded to himself before turning towards the cat "Happy it's time we go kick some dragon butt"

"Aye sir!" Happy responded before grabbing Natsu making them levitate above the ground.

"Luce I..." he bit his lip suddenly unsure of what to say to her.

"It's okay" the blonde winked "We'll take care of these guys, while you're gone"

"That sounds neat!" Natsu smiled warmly as he continued "And you know what?"

"No?"

"We'll be back before you get time to worry about me... I mean us!"

"Tsch, as if I would ever worry about you guys" she rolled her eyes with a small blush on her cheeks.

"Uh-huh" Natsu chuckled brightly as he raised a clenched fist into the air "Yosh! Happy you ready to go?"

"Aye sir!" Happy confirmed but didn't fly away "Wait a second"

"What is it buddy?"

"Gildarts left our team to go search for Cana so right now Gray is all alone fighting those demons" Happy answered obviously worried about the ice mage.

"It's okay, it looks like Erza and Meredy can manage this situation, so I'll go make sure Gray is doing okay" Lucy nodded making the cat smile genuinely back at her.

"Come on we gotta get going! See ya later Luce!" the Dragon Slayer called out, smiling wholeheartedly towards her as they left the ground and flew upwards in the dragon's direction.

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

Lucy followed the exiting duo with her eyes, before she turned around to exchange a glare with Erza who nodded in her direction to let her know, that it was alright that she left the army of corpses to the armored woman and Meredy.

Determined the celestial mage sprinted in Gray's direction, who was indeed alone and struggling to keep up with the huge amount of demons that was attacking him.

"Ahhh!" Lucy roared as she raised a clenched fist behind her and smashed it against the ground, causing a ripple of rocks to spawn, from where she hit and directly towards the demons thereby creating a wall between the ice mage and his opponents.

"Thanks" Gray smirked in her direction as she ran over to him, where she quickly wiped her forehead with the back of her hand.

"You're welcome" Lucy nodded "So how do we deal with these guys"

"I don't know, I still haven't figured out what their weakness is"

"I see..."

That was all the time they got to exchange a few words before the demons crushed the wall of rocks, before they came growling and engaged both mages in battle.

Lucy wanted to see how Natsu was doing in his fight against Acnologia, but she couldn't afford to do that since the fight she was in required all of her attention. Which was the reason why she summoned Virgo who helped them dodge the incoming attackers, by digging holes underneath the surface that functioned as traps.

 _This couldn't go on, they had to figure out their weakness somehow_ , Lucy thought as she snatched her arm backwards, preventing it from being chewed on by sharp teeth.

"Lucy..." Gray panted as he flicked his wrist instantaneously freezing the closest demons before he jumped over to her, placing his back against her's so they were ready for any incoming attackers.

"Yeah? She answered heavily breathing through her mouth.

"Could you try using your strength to smash one of the demons I've frozen?"

"Sure thing!" Lucy bounced from her position with a growl forming in her throat, as she clenched her fist and slammed it against one of the frozen demons. As it did the ice started to shatter, but it didn't look like it had any effect other than freeing the creature.

"Damn it!" the ice mage snarled "What in the freaking hell is their weakness?"

"You're looking at this the wrong way" a male voice said before tattoos appeared on the demon Lucy had set free. A second later the markings slid across the victim's skin and as it did they seemed to restrict the demons movements leaving it immobile.

"Jellal" Lucy gasped in surprise feeling momentarily relieved to see him there.

"They might be demons and have impregnable scales, but all creature have a way to be killed. Such a thing as true immortality does not exist" Jellal continued as he commanded the demon to open it's mouth with the power behind his attack.

"What...?" the blonde girl wondered when she saw golden coloured flames surrounding the older mage's hand.

"Flames of rebuke" Jellal called as the hot substance shot inside the demon's mouth, making the creature growl in pain as the flames inside of it intensified before the demon exploded, making golden flames and blood spout everywhere from the rather cruel attack.

A lot of it landed on Lucy who felt a shiver run down her spine, when she felt the thick and sticky substance hit her body.

"You..." Gray started his eyebrow twitching in annoyance, because he was also hit by the demon's remains when it suddenly exploded "... couldn't have done that demonstration in a more subtle way, huh?"

"Yeah..." Lucy agreed while she wiped her head and arms, to remove the nasty substance that also contained tiny bits of what she presumed was flesh from her.

"Mmm?" Jellal blinked and looked somewhat confused before he took in the sight of the two mages "Ohh..."

"It doesn't matter" the celestial mage shook her head "At least now we know how to deal with them... somehow..."

A sigh escaped her lips, because the prospect of using so violent methods didn't intrigue her at all.

"Don't worry, if it comes to it I'll deal the final blow, while you fixate them" Gray said in a cheerful tone as he patted Lucy on her back, trying to encourage her.

"Thanks..." she smiled genuinely back at him.

"And I will assist you as well" Jellal said in a stoic voice as he raised a clenched fist looking rather resolute.

The two guys being so determined influenced the blonde in a good way, as she in a quick movement grasped the hilt of her whip, while scanning the ground where she soon spotted Virgo who gave her a thumbs up implying she had finished setting up her traps.

 _Good! It was time to turn the tables in their favour!_

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

Natsu and Happy was flying at a super fast pace, when the cat removed his paws from the Dragon Slayer, turning him into a flying projectile what was soon covered all over with huge flames.

When he was close to colliding with the dragon a ferocious and anger filled snarl escaped from him before he tilted his head forwards.

"Fire Dragon's Sword Horn!" he roared before head butting Acnologia in the side. It didn't have any effect whatsoever on the dragon, in fact he didn't even blink as Natsu's body bounced backwards almost as if Acnologia's skin was made out of rubber.

"Whaaaa?" Natsu's eyes bulged in surprise as his body was suddenly sent spinning like a ball, rocketing backwards and away from his opponent. He wasn't airborne and flying for long because Happy was quickly there to catch his body.

"Thanks" the Dragon Slayer said with a smile playing on his lips.

"Aye!" Happy smirked feeling somewhat grateful.

"Can you drop me off on his back this time?"

"Are you sure?" the cat asked with a hint of concern in his voice.

"Yeah it'll be fine, I've got this" Natsu replied, sounding confident in his own abilities.

"Mkay" Happy nodded before flying over to their destination where he dropped his partner onto the dragon who was opening his mouth, evidently preparing to deliver an attack on the battlefield underneath them.

"Like hell I'm allowing that! Crimson Lotus, Fire Dragon's Fist!" Natsu yelled as he engulfed both of his hands with fire and started rapidly hitting his target, who didn't react at all as something blue started to glisten inside of dragon's mouth, signifying he merely seconds away from firing.

"Damn it!" Natsu cursed feeling a shiver of terror when he thought about the amount of people who might get caught of guard, because it could potentially cause a lot of casualties. With that in mind he tried to put more force into his attacks as he continued hitting the dragon.

"You big stupid dragon!" Happy yelled as he flew with maximum speed towards Acnologia's head "You're just a huge lizard that needs to lose weight!"

The cat was like a blue bullet before he hit the dragon's eye earning them the first reaction from their opponent, as it started roaring in pain. As Acnologia started roaring the light inside his mouth vanished, making them succeed in protecting the people below.

Natsu was about to cheer on his partner's behalf, when he saw a huge claw suddenly spawning behind Happy.

 _No..._

His eyes widened very slowly as the claw almost in slow motion hit Happy, making the cat scream in pain before his small body was rocketing at a dangerous speed towards the ground.

"HAPPY!" he reached his hand towards his best friend until he could no longer see him "No..." he shook his head in denial.

 _He would be fine, right? Somehow Happy survived that fatal blow... right?_

"Fuck!" Natsu shouted, feeling really frustrated but also incredibly angry "I'll get you for hurting my best pal, you... idiotic lizard!"

His emotions was getting the better of him, but he didn't care as he sucked in his breath and bit down into the flesh of Acnologia's wing where a muffled "Fire Dragon's Roar" escaped his mouth, before fire spouted into the concentrated area, before the started licking all over the dragon's wing.

The dragon made a weird sound, but Natsu didn't let go. Nope not even when he felt his canines punctuate the dragon's skin, making him feel the dragon's blood on his lips.

"What the heck do you think you're doing?" the voice of Gajeel reached his ears, making him reluctantly look in his direction, still clinging onto the dragon with his mouth.

Natsu couldn't see it himself but his pupils was glistening red, giving him a ominous and cruel look, especially because it was the first time the iron Dragon Slayer and Exceed saw it.

"Woa..." Pantherlily gasped in surprise at the sight.

"Tsch! Drop me down next to the idiotic brat" Gajeel said and a second later he was on the dragon where he quickly snatched Natsu's scarf and brought him up to eye level.

"Let me go!" the pink haired kid growled impatiently while squirming trying to get free.

"You need to calm the fuck down!"

"Shut the hell up!"

Gajeel didn't say anything before he smacked Natsu's cheek, making the kid momentarily confused by the sudden violent act.

"I saw what happened to Happy and you gotta believe he's okay" the iron Dragon Slayer snarled "We have a mission here and I don't want you to be all hot headed and go berserk, because you don't believe in you friend"

"What the fuck?!" Natsu snapped back "I never fucking said I didn't believe in him"

"And yet you lost your temper" Gajeel crooked an eyebrow before releasing the kid from his hold.

"No I didn't..." Natsu snorted defiantly, inwardly knowing he was right.

"Uh-huh" the iron Dragon Slayer smirked mockingly.

"... stupid Gajeel... anyway let's do something about this flying crocodile, shall we?"

Not answering the other Dragon Slayer followed Natsu's lead which meant the incredible fight against the King Dragons was about to start...

* * *

 **A/N:** I finished the chapter! I finally finished it! *cries and crawls underneath her table*

I'm so sorry for the delay, but for some reason I haven't felt like typing for a long period, resulting in a major writer's block in my mind.

Anyhow, I think one of the main reasons I couldn't write was because the story seemed too large for me to continue when I thought about the amount of stuff I wanted to include. So in order for me to keep going and keep my mojo up, I'm gonna be more strict and only choose a few people I type from, because there are sooooo many characters involved in this fight .

Ohh! I forgot to type this in the last chapter but Freed is with the Thunder God Tribe ^^

Bonus info: I made a fun typo while writing this chapter: The Natsu Slayer!

Poor guy, lol xD

I'm off for now, hopefully it won't be too long before I update this story.

Take care my precious kittens! :)

/Hejmdal


	27. Chapter 27

**Disclaimer:** Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima

* * *

 _ **ACT V: Ragnarok – The Fateful Encounter**_

 _ **Approximately X793**_

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

 **Chapter 27: Dragon Slayers, part 2**

Gray was working together with Jellal and Lucy against the demons, when he saw a blue spot rocketing through the air with a tremendous speed. As he watched it, it didn't take more than a few seconds, before he realised it was Happy that was rocketing trough the air at a tremendous speed.

"Happy is in trouble, we need to catch him somehow" Gray said in a rushed voice before exchanging a quick look with the other two.

"I've got this, can you cover me for a second?" Lucy shouted as she found a golden key and summoned Aries.

"Of course, go!" Jellal answered as he took on the demons she had been fighting.

The celestial mage encouraged her spirit to come along, as they sprinted in the direction Happy's body was falling before she asked the spirit for her assistance, which resulted in a huge amount of pink and fluffy stuff spawned on the ground, which caught the cat's body.

"Happy!" Lucy yelled before she started rummaging inside the cloud.

"How is he doing?" Gray asked when he saw the blonde emerging from the pink fluff, holding Happy close to her chest.

"He's unconscious, but fortunately I can't see any other damage on him" Lucy answered clearly distraught that something had happened to the cat.

"We should get him to a healer or something, just to make sure" Gray answered, doing his best to keep his emotions in check, because he couldn't afford to lose his temper.

"But the only healer we have is Wendy and I'm sure she'll be heading towards Acnologia soon" Lucy said and bit down her lips while pressing Happy closer against her chest.

"Let's see..." Jellal bounced over a demon and placed an illuminated hand nonchalantly on Happy's forehead "... he's fine, he'll probably wake up soon"

"Thank god" Lucy let out a deep breath and carefully patted the cat's head.

"If... if it's okay... then I-I... wouldn't mind looking after him" Aries stuttered in a nervous tone.

"That would be great" the blonde nodded with a smile.

"S-sure" the spirit blushed as Lucy gave Happy to the spirit before she shortly thereafter joined the battle again.

Which was good, because it was a hard battle even when all three of them combined their efforts.

Because sure they had found a method to kill the demons, but it was still difficult getting them to explode. Especially Lucy was struggling, not only because the violence didn't appeal to her, but she didn't have any celestial magic that could deal the finishing blow. When Gray noticed that he had offered her that he wouldn't mind doing the finishing blow to the creatures, but the celestial mage had become stubborn and said she could do it on her own, if only she had something that could explode them from the inside.

When she said that Jellal had offered the girl a bag of purple balls, that essentially functioned as magic infused grenades. With those items Lucy had a way to slay the demons, by showing the balls into the creature's stomach.

As they kept fighting it soon turned into a bloody massacre that soaked the ground with sticky blood but also chunks of flesh and splinters of bones. It was slippery and incredibly disgusting, but Gray ignored it as best as he could while continuing to fight.

The ice mage spotted a fast blur from the corners of his eyes, before he recognised Jet suddenly standing beside him.

"How's it going here?" the fast mage asked, while he took in the scene "It looks like you found a way to slay the demons?"

"Yes, the secret is killing them from the inside by making them explode" Gray answered with a sneer as he managed to step sideways and dodge a demon. But before it got too far away, the ice mage spun around and grabbed the snarling demons jaw and forced his hand into it's mouth, where ice instantaneously shot out so the creature's mouth was frozen solid, which prevented it from biting his hand as more ice was forced into the demon, that eventually caused it to explode as spikes of ice exploded through the demon from the inside, thereby sending the remains of the dead demon everywhere.

"Eeew, thanks for the visual image" Jet said with a blank expression on his face "I'll go relay the message to Warren so he can transfer it to the others. Man, this is good news, people are really struggling against these ugly things"

"Yeah..." Gray wiped some sweat of his forehead and ignored the man who was running on the spot for a few seconds before he took off, leaving the group to face their opponents.

A smirk formed on his lips as he jumped over a demon and delivered such a forceful kick to one of the foes, that send teeth flying from the impact.

 _They could do this. Slowly but steady, they would win this goddamn war._

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

Gajeel exchanged a quick look with Natsu, who briefly nodded towards him before they ran in opposite direction, each targeting their own wing. After that he looked at the huge version of Pantherlily who grabbed the hilt of his sword.

"I'll catch his attention and give you some time" the black cat said before flying in front of Acnologia, where he started dodging the dragon snapping in his direction. It was clear that Pantherlily couldn't keep that up for long, but Gajeel had faith it would be enough for them to do something about the wings.

"Let's do this" the Iron Dragon Slayer said "Iron Shadow Dragon Mode"

As he said that black shadows engulfed his body, making his skin seem more glistening and potentially hard as the iron that covered him was such a glistening contrast to the darkness.

" ron Shadow Dragon's Sword" Gajeel roared making his arm turn into a massive sword that looked more like a chainsaw than an actual sword, before he started smashing it against the wing.

The attack did almost nothing, which made him snort in anger because Natsu had managed to punctuate Acnologia's skin by simply biting it. Speaking of the idiotic brat, Gajeel innerly hoped that he could keep his cool and stop acting like a overly protective grandma. Seriously they needed him at his best and worrying about his comrades did nothing good, on the contrary.

"Take this!" Gajeel said as a ferocious growl formed in throat before becoming audible, as he focused all of his strength into his arm, before he forcefully slashed against Acnologia's wing.

At first it didn't seem like anything happened, until he noticed that there was a tiny cut on the dragon's skin that was starting to bleed ever so slightly.

"What are taking you so long?" a rather stoic voice said from beside him making him turn his head to stare at Rogue who was being carried by Frosch. Gajeel briefly wondered how the heck the cat managed to summon it's wings through the frog suit, but he let it be because he knew that it wasn't always a good idea to question logic.

"Yeah what gives, are you guys just being lazy?" Sting said teasingly as he hovered in the air beside Natsu.

"Shut it!" the fire Dragon Slayer snarled back, clearly not in the mood for being teased.

"Whatever, dude" Sting shrugged "Lector can you drop me next to Natsu, be prepared if anything happens, kay?"

"Sure thing!" the cat said in an enthusiastic tone as he did what he was told. A second later Frosch and Rogue followed the same procedure, making the shadow Dragon Slayer stand beside Gajeel.

"Uhm... I'll make sure to support you guys..." Wendy said in a slightly nervous but also determined voice as she and Carla flew above Acnologia and the dragon slayer's on it "Arms! Ile Arms!"

As she finished her chanting, the Dragon Slayers was engulfed in an illuminating light enforcing their offensive attacks momentarily.

"Lily can't keep dodging so let's kick his huge scaly butt!" Gajeel chuckled and with that said the four boys teamed up in two duo's.

Nodding towards Rogue the iron Dragon Slayer sucked in his breath before shouting "Iron Shadow Dragon's Roar". As he did Rogue copied his attack and yelled "Shadow Dragon's roar".

Gajeel heard Natsu and Sting roaring a similar chant, while watching as his own black iron attack combined with Rogue's, turning his own attack even more black as it spiralled ahead of them. It was only for a second but as their attack spawned Gajeel saw through the corner of his eyes, how the hot and violent flames from Natsu rocketed and connected with Stings light, making the attack even brighter and seem both beautiful but also frightfully lethal.

Just before the attack connected with the Dragon's wings, he hear Wendy shout "Sky Dragon's roar!" so when the combined effort finally hit, her attack intertwined with the attacks making it go even faster and grow in strength.

This seemed to do the job as an ear piercing roar escaped Acnologia, making him squirm and twist as he tried removing the annoying maggots on his back. When he started doing that, the people on the dragon's back quickly wrapped their arms around the wings, holding on for their life.

"It's working" Natsu yelled as they all fought to stay on the dragon "We need to do it again!"

"And how the fuck do you suggest we do that, you idiot?!" Gajeel snapped in anger at the pink haired brat.

"I don't know man! And I'm NOT an idiot!" Natsu growled, his eyebrow twitching in anger.

"Uh-huh, a salamander like you has a brain the size of a peanut, making it impossible to think" the iron Dragon Slayer chuckled, hoping the provocation might ignite the mechanics going through the idiotic kid's head.

"Shut it, you stupid metal head! If I could I would... oh..."

 _There it was, his instincts was kicking in... excellent!_

"So what is it, kid?" Gajeel said, a small smirk playing on his lips.

"We need to attack him at the same time" Natsu answered "You guys need to do it from a long distance"

"What about you?" Sting said his eyes looking rather panicked for a second because he's hands was starting to slip on the surface of the dragon.

"I'll figure something out, just go!" the fire mage answered.

"Fine!" Gajeel grumbled in an annoyed tone "Lily! Where are you?"

"Right here..." the small black cat answered from beneath them before he flew up beside him, clearly beaten and battered from trying to keep Acnologia's attention for a few minutes.

"You good enough to fly me up to Wendy?"

"Yeah, I'm good" Pantherlily winked, trying to confirm he wasn't too badly wounded.

"Let's do this then!" Gajeel shouted before he jumped off the dragon simultaneously with the others, except for Natsu who was still holding onto the wing.

None of them said anything as the Exceeds caught their partners and flew up to the tiny healer.

"Roar?" Rogue asked making the four others nod in return.

Silence followed once more as all of them roared their attack that combined wind, light, iron and black shadows in one singular attack that spun towards Acnologia. Once it was close enough Natsu jumped backwards and joined the attack by delivering his own roar to the mix.

When the forceful attack hit the dragon it sent out a painful scream before it started flying downwards towards the ground, clearly trying to avoid the pesky brats that dared attack him.

 _Fuck yeah it's working!_ Gajeel thought as they kept attacking until they eventually had to stop to take a deep breath, none of them having sufficient oxygen to keep on going.

When they did, Acnologia roared in pain and anger as he swiftly flew downwards in an even line before turning around on the spot, clearly because he wanted to use the distance to his advantage to gain more momentum before eliminating the things that had attacked him.

"Ohh no you don't!" Laxus screamed from underneath the dragon before lightning combined with something poisonous raced towards the opponent at rocket speed before it wrapped around Acnologia's neck. As it did the attack somehow seemed to function as a magical rope, which Cobra and Laxus used to forcefully shove the dragon downwards, where it crashed against the ground. The impact was so filled with energy that it sent ripples through the ground, causing a minor earthquake on the battlefield.

"Time to get down to business!" Gajeel shouted to the others who quickly followed him in Acnologia's direction.

 _Now he was on the ground it was time to use that as an advantage and finally slay that mother fucker_ , the iron Dragon Slayer thought before his eyes searched the scenario around him, but for some reason he couldn't spot Natsu anywhere. After they had used the combined attack, he had lost track of him and now he was nowhere to be seen.

"... stupid Salamander..." Gajeel snorted impatiently, inwardly hoping that the idiot would be fine wherever the fuck he was.

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

Zeref chuckled wickedly when he watched Acnologia smash against the ground, his lips curling back and forming a knowing smile.

This was all go according to his plan and soon it was his time to move.

 _Yes... soon they would all meet their fate and get what they deserved..._

* * *

 **A/N:** This is a short chapter, I'm sorry about that :( However sometimes it makes sense making the chapters shorter compared to where the story is going. So yeah hope that's okay :D

Anyway, things are really starting to escalate in this war thing, so hang on tight and hug something you hold dear, because things are getting better, but also far worse. Bwahahah!

Also... Natsu you idiot, where the heck did you go?! Moooh, he can be so reckless sometimes...

For those wondering about Zeref: I have a sneaky plan with him. Awww yeah! xD

Have a good day y'all!

/Hejmdal


	28. Chapter 28

**Disclaimer:** Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima

* * *

 _ **ACT V: Ragnarok – The Fateful Encounter**_

 _ **Approximately X793**_

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

 **Chapter 28: Dragon Slayers, part 3**

 _Yes!_ Natsu thought feeling hopeful when he watched his flames combine with the others attack before it hit Acnologia. He was so happy about the prospect of them potentially taking the dragon out sooner than he expected, that he didn't think about the fact that his body was starting to fall, after he had jumped off Acnologia's back. It didn't take long though, before he realised it making him turn around to look down at the ground that was coming towards him way too fast.

"Shit!" Natsu spat before he sucked in his breath with the intention of taking some speed of the fall, by countering gravity, but that idea quickly vanished, since the chance of hitting innocent comrades was too high.

The Dragon Slayer didn't get a chance to reach another solution to his problem, before his body smashed against the ground, making him curse and growl in anger as the pain rippled through his body from his left leg, that had been the first thing to take the force from the impact. After that he felt an excruciating pain coming from his ribcage, making him curl into a ball momentarily where he laid heaving for air to try to straighten his composure.

It took a few minutes before he very slowly got into a sitting position, where a sudden sharp pain from his leg made him glare in it's direction. It didn't look fractured or broken as such, but he could feel that there was definitely something very painful and wrong especially with his knee.

"Damn it..." the Dragon Slayer cursed when he started folding his pants back, so he could see the damage done to his knee. As he did he felt his ribs aching in a painful way, that implied he had fractured and possibly even broken some bones in his chest.

When the fabric got to his knees he started whimpering in pain but once that task was over with, he could see the cause for his suffering.

"... fuck!" Natsu cursed when he saw his dislocated kneecap, because he knew there was only one thing to do and that was popping it back into place.

 _That was gonna hurt like sitting butt naked on a cactus..._

People was running around and fighting all around him, too busy to pay him any attention so the Dragon Slayer knew he had to do it himself.

 _You can do this! It ain't time to be a cry baby!_ Natsu thought as he started roaring while placing both hands around his kneecap, before he forcefully pushed it back into place. Honestly it hurt like fucking hell making him scream in agony, but despite of that the kneecap went back into place rather smoothly as if it wanted nothing more than get back into place.

"... damn..." panting and breathing through his mouth he quickly wiped some sweat away from his forehead before he found some bandages that he wrapped around his knee, in order for it to stay in place.

Once that was over with he got into a standing position and started running towards Acnologia and the Dragon Slayers. As he did he somewhat smoothly opened his jacket, before using the remaining bandages to wrap tightly around his torso. It didn't help a lot, but Natsu had learned ages ago that it could help ease the pain, even if it was only by a tiny margin.

When he was done with that he quickly closed his jacket again and started to sprint, all the time successfully dodging the fights that was going on.

"Time for round 2, you damn fucking reptile!" Natsu yelled in determination as he joined the fight again a few minutes later.

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

Sting was standing beside Rogue when they simultaneously fired a combined attack against Acnologia, who nonchalantly swatted it away with his tail like it had been nothing more than a mere bug prickling on his skin.

"Tsch!" Sting spat in annoyance, because even though both him and Rogue had entered Dragon Force mode, it didn't seem to have much more effect on the gigantic dragon. Sure, it delivered some more power than their usual attacks but it was still not enough.

The blonde quickly scanned the area and saw that Gajeel was also struggling even though it didn't look like it disheartened him in any way. Actually none of them looked like it got them down, as a matter of fact it seemed like they used it as a driving force to keep attacking with more and more force.

 _They were determined and why wouldn't they be? This was a dragon and it was their job as Dragon Slayers to take him down._ Sting thought to himself a small smirk playing on his lips.

"You seem quite eager all of a sudden" Rogue said in a somewhat neutral tone.

"Just remembered something that's all" he smiled playfully before he sprinted towards the dragon, passing Cobra who was busy soloing against one of the claws. For some reason that guy didn't like cooperating with the others that much, but heck if that was how he fought then so be it. Sting wouldn't judge him or his way of fighting.

His eyes lingered for a second on the poison Dragon Slayer, which was enough for him to not notice someone running in his direction. He felt it though, when the tiny body collided with his own sending him backwards with his huge eyes, momentarily before his back smashed against the ground.

"What the...?!" Sting wondered as he got into a sitting position where he sat scratching his neck

"I... I'm so sorry!" Wendy was sitting in front of him, clearly she had also fallen when they collided.

"It's okay, I didn't see you there" the blonde smiled wholeheartedly, but the girl still looked rather embarrassed about the situation.

"I... I'm..." the healer shook her head still looking really sorry.

"Seriously it's okay" Sting smiled feeling guilty all of a sudden "Really I... woa, this really ain't the time for this"

They were both way too close to the dragon and within it's range of attacks, so Sting quickly made a decision and wrapped one of his arms around Wendy's waist, thereby carrying her at his side as he sprinted away from the dragon until they were at a somewhat safe distance, where they were joined by Carla.

"Wh-wh-what?" Wendy stuttered when Sting dropped her on the ground earning a small "umf" from the healer.

"Don't throw her like that!" Carla snapped in anger as she eyed her partner up and down "Are you okay?"

"Yeah..." the blue haired girl confirmed.

"Good... I gotta get back, remember not to stretch yourself, kay?" Sting smiled warmly at the healer who nodded in enthusiasm.

"Ye... yeah..." Wendy answered knowing that it was important that she didn't get too involved in the fight, since it was essential that they had her healing powers if something really bad happened during the different battles.

"Great, later kid!" Sting blinked and wiggled teasingly with his tongue, which earned a angry outburst from Carla, who tried to tell him that Wendy wasn't a kid.

As the blonde Dragon Slayer ran towards the fight his demeanour started changing from looking friendly into becoming more grim and determined.

"Lector! Frosch!" he called making both Exceeds join him "Go to Wendy and make sure to stay safe and be ready if we need your aid, okay?"

"Yes sir!" Lector agreed with a salute, before he took the frog looking cat's hand and started running over to the healer.

"We need more combined attacks for this to work!" he called earning Rogues attention who glanced in his direction.

"What are you thinking?" the dark haired mage asked before he jumped above Acnologia's snarling head, thereby escaping being chewed on.

"Different affinities..." Sting said in a low voice when an idea spawned in his head "Two teams! Gajeel, Rogue and Cobra, you need to use a combined attack against him! Laxus you up for us teaming up against this bastard?"

"Who gave that snotty brat the idea he's the leader all of a sudden?" Gajeel grumbled to himself, before he after a while managed to get together to his two partners.

"You guys ready?" Sting roared when Laxus had managed to get over to him.

Knowing that every second counted because all of them were at a disadvantage, since none of them was keeping Acnologia occupied, Sting didn't waste any time before he roared "NOW!"

"Lightning Dragon's Heavenward Halberd!" Laxus growled as electricity gathered between his hands until it took the form of a huge spear consisting purely of electric currents, he then threw in the dragon's direction. Simultaneously Sting clasped his hands together roaring "Holy Ray!" before light seeped out from between his fingers in multiple rays, that intertwined with the lightning sphere making it look like the weapon was wrapped in glowing snakes.

While Sting and Rogue fired their attack, Cobra fired his Poison Dragon's Fang Thrust which summoned a wave of poison that took the shape of a huge snakehead, that rocketed towards Acnologia. As it did Gajeel fired his Karma Demon: Iron Spiral in his Iron Shadow mode, which created a huge spiral of shadows and iron to spin violently around the snake, thereby creating a lethal looking armor for Cobra's attack.

Rogue didn't waste any time either and contributed to the attack by using Shadow Dragon's roar that intensified both attacks by making the spiral go faster and darker, while the poisonous serpent not only looked more grim, but it also became more lethal from the black shadows that reinforced the power of the poison.

Both attacks hit Acnologia on each side, making the dragon roar in pain as the snake bit it's fangs into his side, punctuating the skin underneath the serpent's jaw, before the spiral of iron and shadows drilled into the dragon creating a circular wound, that managed to rip the skin to pieces. At the same time the huge lightning spear with white energy wrapped around it, went straight through the dragon's wing creating a huge hole in it, before the weapon digged into the meat on Acnologia's side. As it did the spearhead went straight into the meaty part of Acnologia's side, not only punctuating the skin but also widening the wound as the lightning and white started to tear the meat apart, like they were tiny whips that slashed it to pieces.

Eventually though both attacks started dissolving and when it did Acnologia, opened his huge mouth, making it look like he was seconds away from saying something, but it never happened because the dragon was rudely interrupted by a huge fireball that hit his face. It was quite obvious who it was, but nonetheless Rogue turned to stare at Natsu who was head butting the gigantic dragon, both of them were snarling like ferocious animals and had blood streaming down their foreheads. It didn't take long before the flames started to become smaller making the fire Dragon Slayer place a foot on Acnologia's snout, he then used to gain momentum and launch himself backwards, before he landed on the ground somewhat smoothly.

"Natsu-san! Good to see you!" Sting managed to say before an ear deafening roar made all of the Dragon Slayer's grasp their heads with both hands, as they tried to subdue the sound. Fortunately it didn't take long before Acnologia stopped, making him stand growling in anger.

"You... insolent insects" the dragon snarled in a low voice that fumed with hatred.

"He... talked?" Rogue wondered out loud, thereby saying what everyone was thinking.

"My patience has grown thin..." Acnologia's eyes shined with murderous intentions "... it's time for you to die!"

Blue looking light spawned inside of the dragon's mouth and in that second they all realised one thing: Acnologia was taken them seriously and the real showdown was about to go down. It was time to see who was strongest: the Dragon Slayers or the dragon.

* * *

 **A/N:** It seems like the chapters keeps getting shorter for some weird reason, I don't know why. Anyhow it doesn't matter, I have to make them when it seems appropriate and not smack a lot of silly fillers in.

A small warning about the upcoming stuff: Since this is a war people will start getting horrible wounds and even though I didn't want this in the beginning, I am gonna kill some people. This is a war after all and it is inevitable that casualties happen ^^

Also when I made strategies for the battles I thought it would only be logical that Wendy is somewhat holding back, using support as best as she can but otherwise saving magic, so if anything bad happens she can heal people. After all she's the only healer there atm, because old Poly ain't there.

Cat kisses and hugs - Hejmdal


	29. Chapter 29

**Disclaimer:** Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima

* * *

 _ **ACT V: Ragnarok – The Fateful Encounter**_

 _ **Approximately X793**_

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

 **Chapter 29: Dragon Slayers, part 4**

Laxus wouldn't say it out loud, but the fight against Acnologia was not only hard but it was balancing on the edge of a very sharp sword, that could easily result in defeat or victory. When they had managed to wound the dragon they had all felt a tiny glimpse of hope, but after that it was like the devil himself had possessed the dragon making his attacks more lethal. Acnologia was treating them as his mortal enemies and delivering not only powerful attacks against them, but he was way quicker in dodging the incoming attacks, which was surprising considering the dragon's massive size. Actually it looked like it didn't hinder him at all, making Acnologia seem rather agile and flexible.

Honestly the fight was starting to get on the lightning mages nerves, mainly because he wanted to finish it in order to go protect the people he cared about. Sure he wasn't the sort of person who expressed his feelings that often, but when it mattered Laxus wanted to be there.

 _Evergreen, Freed, Bixlow... wait for me..._

An image of Makarov entered his mind, making Laxus snort almost defiantly when he recalled the old fart suddenly dragging him into his office, when the rest of the guild was making preparations for the war.

 _Tsch, like hell he would tolerate what the senile goat had told him..._

An uncontrollable anger manifested throughout his body, making him growl in defiance as lightning surrounded his clenched fist, before he yelled "Lightning Dragon's Iron Fist!" and slammed his hand against Acnologia's claw, that seconds later was swatted away before it started coming down on him, making him leap backwards in other to prevent his body from being smashed flat against the ground.

Even something as basic as dodging was becoming harder and he knew he wasn't the only one struggling. The others were losing stamina and strength as time surely but steadily started to run out for the Dragon slayers, so they had to up their game and deliver some damaging attacks on the dragon before it was too late.

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

Lucy was breathing heavily through her mouth, when she managed to shove one of the grenades she had gotten from Jellal into one of demon's mouth, before it exploded sending a shower of blood, flesh and intestines everywhere. She wasn't as disgusted about her role as she had been in the beginning, but it didn't intrigue her one bit. Lucy respected life and would do anything it took if it meant everyone lived, so her actions were a direct contradiction to her philosophy. Of course this wasn't a situation where she should apply her own values, but it was still heartbreaking and cruel in her head.

So it might be weird, but her gentle nature couldn't prevent her from feeling somewhat guilty.

 _She didn't want to keep doing this..._ Lucy thought to herself, because not only was she sick of it mentally, but her body was starting to feel the weight of the fight. Her muscles was aching all over and in some places there were cuts and bruises from her not always being able to dodge in time.

A sigh escaped her lips as she removed some sweat and blood from her arms and forehead, which was a silly thing to do because almost every inch of her was covered the disgusting remnants of the demons.

Tired, no Lucy was starting to become exhausted by the violence surrounding her.

The celestial mage was trying to recover from her fight when she heard Happy grunting and moaning, signifying he was about to wake up, which made her spin around on her foot to look in the cat's direction.

"Mmm..." Happy grumbled as he nuzzled his head against Aries clearly thinking the soft thing he was rubbing was huge, lovely pillows and not the spirit's private area.

"I... uhm... I'm sorry... uhm..." Aries stuttered, her cheeks blushing in a fierce and crimson color, clearly embarrassed and uncertain about what she should do about the cat.

"Happy!" Lucy called before turning her head to scan the area, to make sure it was okay for her to run over to check Happy. When she was certain it was okay, she sprinted over to the cat who was yawning loudly with a small drop of drool dangling out of his mouth.

"Mmm..." Happy grumbled in a drowsy tone as he very reluctantly started opening his eyes.

"How are you feeling?" Lucy asked in concern while gently scratching the top of his head.

"Tiiired..." he answered and rubbed his eyes with his tiny paws "... mm..."

"Does your head hurt?"

"Mm-mm" Happy shook his head as he very slowly opened his eyes.

"That's good" Lucy smiled warmly, as she quickly turned her head to make sure everything was alright and they were somewhat safe.

"WOAAA!" Happy screamed in horror, making Lucy instinctively turn to see if something was attacking the cat. Not seeing anything harmful she was left standing with a baffled look on her face, blinking with huge and confused eyes.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Lucy asked clearly distraught by his sudden outburst "Does it hurt somewhere?"

"I... I..." horror struck the cat gulped loudly "... is that blood?"

"Oh... oh! Yeah it isn't mine, it's from those demons" the blonde smiled wanting to reassure the cat that she was in fact okay.

"Uhm... kay" Happy said in a sceptic tone before his eyes scanned the area seeing the huge amount of meat and blood that was scattered every, which made him shiver uncontrollably from the unpleasant sight.

"Yeah it's... not a nice thing to see, huh?" Lucy quickly scanned the area as well, knowing this wasn't the time for her to casually talk with the cat.

"Oy Happy?" Gray said as he finished a demon and spun around to exchange a look with the Exceed.

"Aye?" he answered, still looking shocked from taking in the scenario.

"You okay?" the ice mage continued before spitting a combination of saliva and blood onto the ground.

"Ye-yeah..." Happy tried smiling but it was obviously fake.

"Good..." Gray nodded "I was just wondering whether or not you intend on going back?"

"Back?"

"Back to Natsu" the ice mage's eyes momentarily glistened with something that looked like amusement.

"Ohh! Aye sir!" The cat lit up, like he had just gotten the biggest fish all to himself.

"Then can I ask you a favour?"

"Uh-huh" the cat nodded eagerly.

"Take her with you" the ice mage gestured with his head in Lucy's direction.

"What?!" the celestial mage burst out surprised by his request "Why?!"

"Well it's common knowledge that the idiot always works better, if it's for something he wants to protect" Gray smiled genuinely.

"But... I..." Lucy bit down her lips, uncertain how she felt about the situation.

"Besides this relieves you from having to eliminate demons, which is rather evident you don't take pleasure in doing" Jellal added as he took a short break from his fight to sent the girl a smile "So go! Rest assured we have this under control"

"And I know you're worried sick about the idiot, so do yourself a favour and go" Gray winked in her direction, his smile widening as he looked at her.

"You guys..." the blonde smiled wholeheartedly making small tears gather in her eyes.

"All right what are we waiting for, let's go!" Happy squirmed out of Aries' arms before he spawned his wings and quickly snatched Lucy.

"Wa-wait!" the celestial mage stuttered feeling perplexed when she saw her spirit vanish into the spirit world while her two comrades smiled warmly at her departing figure.

Knowing there was nothing she could do, but being carried to her new destination Lucy felt slightly sad to watch Jellal and Gray starting to vanish, but before she was too far away she took a deep breath and yelled.

"Take care you guuuys! I'll see you later!" her remark earned her a thumbs up from the two male mages, before they were both engaged in battle again.

 _Good luck you guys!_ The celestial mage thought, feeling grateful that she didn't have to explode any more demons, but anticipating that something far worse was ahead of her.

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

Natsu was embarked in battle when he spotted something in the corner of his eyes, that was flying directly towards their direction, however it took a few moments of dodging and delivering attacks, before he got a chance to get a more thorough look on the thing. Once he got enough time to do that, it didn't take long for him to recognise who they were, making him feel a wide range of emotions.

The feelings were so chaotic, that he didn't know which one was more dominant. That was until he watched Lucy and Happy land not that far away, making him curse in a low inaudible tone before he exchanged a brief look with Gajeel who started chuckling.

"We'll take care of this, go see that girl of yours" the iron Dragon Slayer smirked teasingly before smashing his saw looking hand that was engulfed in black shadows against Acnologia "We can keep his attention for a minute or two"

"Ya sure?" Natsu asked while dodging a wing from smashing against his skull.

"Just go!" Sting encouraged "Just come back quickly, so we can finish this bastard"

"All right" the fire mage smiled to himself as he managed to get away from the dragon before he started sprinting over to the duo.

"Happy! I'm so glad to see you're fine!" Natsu said sincerely but his happiness was quickly replaced with worry when he took in the blood covering the blonde "Lucy you're..."

"I'm fine, this isn't mine" she smiled sheepishly "Sorry if I shocked you"

"Mmm..." he grumbled with a frown, his demeanour changing completely into being more angry but also slightly desperate as he looked towards Acnologia.

"What is it?" Lucy asked clearly knowing there was something on his mind.

"What were you thinking..." he started as an image of Happy being smashed away momentarily entering his mind.

"What...?"

"I mean what the heck are you doing here?!" Natsu growled his voice dripping with fury "You should be with the team not here"

"But..."

"Go back right now, ya hear me!" he motioned demonstratively with his arm, hoping to make his point more clearly.

"I..." she bit down her lips obviously hurt by his outburst and of course he didn't like it, but he honest to god would rather hurt her now if it meant she was far away from Acnologia's reach.

"We'll be fine so go!" Natsu sighed before he turned around, because he didn't like seeing the pain that was written on her face.

He seriously felt sick down to his stomach about his own actions and because of that he was momentarily distracted, which was rather unfortunate considering the circumstances.

"Natsu!" Lucy shouted in a desperate tone before he suddenly felt warm arms wrap around his waist before his body was forcefully slammed against the ground, making him moan as the air got knocked out of his lungs.

"... ngh..." Natsu growled feeling rather annoyed, by suddenly kissing the ground with his face.

"You okay?" Lucy asked as she raised her body above his, giving enough mobility to him so he could turn around and look at her.

"Yeah... thanks" Natsu said while taking a few deep breaths through his mouth, trying to make his breathing more regular again.

"Good I..."

She didn't get a chance to finish that sentence as a huge and massive claw suddenly came swinging in their direction and once it was close enough, it snatched away her body so fast that the vision seemed more than a blur to the Dragon Slayer than reality itself.

Surprised by the sudden turn of events Natsu's air got caught in his throat, his eyes widening in horror as time seemed to stop, before he slowly turned to look in the direction the blonde was sent flying.

"Lucy!" he called in frustration, when he saw her back crash against a huge boulder, which caused a heartbreaking scream to escape her mouth.

Having only one thing on his mind, the Dragon Slayer quickly bounced into a standing position before sprinting in Lucy's direction, not paying any attention to the others who was still busy fighting the dragon.

Cursing profoundly in his mind he dodged a claw by placing a hand on it and projecting his body above it, not really noticing that the other Dragon Slayer's started putting more force into their attacks to ensure that they had Acnologia's attention, thereby giving Natsu the time he needed time to run over to Lucy.

It didn't take long before he reached her, making him skid with his feet using the momentum to bend down his knees, so he was skidding on his shins before eventually halting right next to the celestial mage.

"Sorry..." Lucy said in a low voice while smiling sadly in his direction, clearly trying to hide how much pain she was in, as she started chewing on her bottom lip.

"Don't say that!" Natsu shouted his voice filled with both anger and concern, as he eyed her up and down trying to take in her condition "And stop pretending that it doesn't hurt"

"Uh-huh..." a few droplets of sweat trailed down her forehead while her face started to twitch in pain.

"How's your back?" he narrowed his eyes and watched her flinch.

"It's... not that bad" she took a few shaking breaths, her body starting to shake uncontrollably.

"Lucy-san!" Wendy called as she approached them and sat down next to the blonde "You okay?"

"Ye-yeah..." the celestial mage answered before tears started trickling down her cheeks.

Not saying anything the tiny healer placed glowing hands above the girl to scan her body, to take in her state. It didn't take long for her to finish that task, leaving the healer sitting with her mouth wide open, clearly surprised by something.

"What?!" Natsu said in a bewildered tone looking at Wendy and Lucy in turn.

"I'm sorry but we have to roll her over, I need to see her injuries since this is a... delicate situation" Wendy said her hands shaking for a second before she placed them on each side of the blonde's neck "Natsu-san can you hold her waist as we roll her over and place her on the ground. You gotta make sure her back doesn't twist or moves, not even a millimetre, you hear? Carla I need you to place cloth for her neck, to make sure it stays in the same position"

"Sure" the Exceed in human form nodded and took her coat off, ready to place it underneath the girl's head.

"Okay, you ready Natsu-san? In three, two, one" Wendy said in a firm tone as they started moving the girl. As they did Lucy let out an agonising scream, before she bit down her lip again.

Gulping loudly the fire mage felt an unpleasant shiver run down his spine because he had never heard her scream like that before and it was absolutely terrifying.

"There you go" Wendy said in a caring voice before she scooted behind the girl and placed her glowing hands above the celestial mage's back.

In his mind Natsu knew it was a bad idea, especially when he saw the huge amount of blood that was covering the boulder, but he couldn't prevent himself from crawling over to Wendy where he got a full view of the damages done to Lucy's back.

 _Fucking hell!_ Natsu growled like a ferocious animal, when he saw the deep claw marks that not only had ripped her skin, but torn the meat apart on her back. Furthermore there was something that didn't look right about her spinal cord, which he suspected was because it was dislocated in some places.

 _Honestly it was nothing less than a bloody miracle she had survived._

".. you... can heal this right?" the Dragon Slayer growled in a low tone, that was dripping with malice.

"Ye-ye-yeah..." Wendy stuttered obviously frightened by his sudden change in demeanour.

"Good..." Natsu whispered as he got into a standing position and moved over to Lucy's head. She was now sopping freely, her face drenched with tears and sweat.

 _He was the culprit... he did this to her..._

An image from when he had been out of control entered his mind, from when it had been his claws that had caused her pain and suffering.

 _Pay... he would pay for what he did to her!_

His anger seemed to intensify until it was almost consuming his rationality, but when he looked down and saw Lucy in her fragile state the anger immediately vanished replacing it with sorrow and a sort of helplessness. Actually it made his heart leap painfully to watch her look like that and the only way too soothe it was coming closer to her, which he did as he gently started caressed her cheek with one of his hands, the other one he used to remove some stray hair that was sticking to her face.

"I'll get him for this" his voice was filled with warmth as he rubbed his thumb against her cheek "I promise you he'll pay"

Lucy couldn't answer because the adrenaline that had somewhat numbed her in beginning was gone, making the girl suffer from intense pain that was logically affecting her mind.

 _Anyone who dared harm her would be punished... if he had to kill that person, then so be it._

Stomping towards the battle, his eyes shone in a ominous red colour, portraying his inner feelings as he let out another furious snarl.

"Laxus!" Natsu roared before he spotted said mage, who turned to look back at him.

"What?!" the lightning mage shouted back in return.

"Go protect them!"

"Why?"

"Just do it, okay?!"

"What?!"

"I said get your fucking ass down here and go protect them! Please!"

"Fine!" Laxus managed to get away from the dragon and soon stood in front of Natsu "Now calm the hell down or you'll end up doing something reckless"

"Yeah, yeah sure" he answered not particularly caring what the older mage said to him. No, it was time to punish that goddamn oversized reptile for hurting Lucy.

 _Ohh he would get that son of a bitch and he would use all the power he could get to see it was done with his own hands. It was time for the dragon to learn what a slayer could do._

Launching himself with a ferocious growl, he let some of his consciousness reach out to the golden sphere in his mind, but he was evicted immediately and rather forcefully from that place.

 _What the...?_

He tried once more but got the same result, making him curse in a low inaudible voice.

 _I can't let you enter..._ a familiar voice spoke inside his mind.

 _What?! Why not?_

 _Remember what fuels the curse?_ His demonic counterpart asked.

 _Yeah anger, d'uuh_

 _Remember my warning?_

 _I... ohh..._

 _Yes and in your current state the curse will consume you and I can't allow that._

 _Tsch! Fine! Whatever..._

Fortunately Natsu had other ways to power up, so with that in mind he raised his power until he evoked Dragon Force that made scales spawn across his body.

This was it... it was time to finish it once and for all.

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

Gildarts had succeeded in finding Cana and was thrilled to see that she was doing fairly well. All though he honestly wasn't that fond of the fact that his beautiful and amazing daughter, was in a team that only consisted of two other guys. As a man himself he knew all too well how perverted and obscure people could get when confronted with the opposite gender, so the situation far from intrigued him.

In the beginning Gildarts didn't know what he would do once he found Cana, but after seeing the circumstances his beloved child was in, it became pretty clear what he had to do.

 _There was no way he would allow her to be with those creeps!_

Huffing like he was insulted by the sight, he quickly snatched Cana's wrist and started dragging her with him, leaving Mest and Richard alone to battling the incoming demons. Of course she struggled against him and said a lot of insulting words, that was so profound even Gildarts own mind somehow managed to censor it.

"Gildarts!" Cana eventually called without the usage of any swear words.

"Yes what is it?" he answered before turning around to wink at her, making an imaginary heart spawn beside him.

"Ugh" the girl flinched in disgust but he took it as a sign of affection from her, making him smile wholeheartedly.

"Anyway..." Cana rolled with her eyes "Care to tell me where we're going?"

"Ohh..." Gildarts blinked not sure how to answer that"... we... uhm..."

"Go on say it" Cana sighed clearly not satisfied with his answer.

"Well..." he stopped walking and started scratching his chin in thought, debating in his mind what to do next "... uhm... I don't know?"

"Idiot..."

"... you're being too harsh against your old man" he sulked, deeply wounded by her accusation.

"Well you are" Cana smirked teasingly before she hit his shoulder "It's clear from the direction we're going that you wanna go to Acnologia and make him pay for what he did to you"

"I... I am?" the older mage blinked, because he hadn't reached that conclusion himself yet. Of course he had thought about it, but he barely realised that his own body was unconsciously going in that direction.

"Yes you are" his daughter nodded "You wanna go there so badly to settle the score, that you aren't even noticing where you're going. That's so typical of you"

"You... you really care about me don't you?" Gildarts said in a jolly voice before engulfing Cana in a tight hug "I'm so proud of you, my precious girl!"

"Sh-shut it" Cana blushed but returned the hug briefly before the older mage stopped the embrace.

"Come on, let's join forces and kill some demons" Gildarts extended his hand but she didn't grab it.

"What?! No!" she shook her head.

"No?"

"We're going to Acnologia"

"But... he's too dangerous and I can't leave you here all alone"

"Tsch! Come on you need to get back at that crocodile, for harming your body and attacking us on Tenrou Island" Cana tilted her head to side "It's painfully clear that it's something you need to do and I'm not gonna prevent you from doing that"

"But..." Gildarts countered having a bad feeling where the conversation was going.

"I can take care of myself you know, but since I know you're a silly old romantic idiot, who is constantly worrying about me, then do yourself the favour and take me with you"

"I can't do that!"

"Sure ya can! Cana smiled in encouragement "I promise I won't get in your way and I'll make sure to leave the fight against Acnologia to you and the Dragon Slayers"

"You sure?" he asked, feeling rather sceptic about the idea but acknowledging that it had potential since it would give him the opportunity to get even with the dragon, while simultaneously having Cana nearby.

"Of course, so stop being such a big pussy, kay?"

Hearing her heartfelt encouragement made all the uneasiness that had been lingering in his heart disappear, before stars of affection started glistening in his eyes.

"You..." Gildarts sniffled "... you're the best daughter a man could get! Let's go"

Grabbing her hand they started their journey towards the gigantic dragon, while trying their best to avoid getting into any of the fights that they passed by. It took some time and effort but eventually they managed to reach their destination, where new stuff was destined to unfold.

* * *

 **A/N:** Turn up the volume and dance!

I know I've said this before but things will start to really escalate soon, because it's so easy to turn the whole fight/war into something that's super lengthy and I don't want that. Sure I want it to be long but I don't want it to be too long either.

So yeah! I might have the next chapter ready sometime next week, it depends on my muse and if I can get enough coffee to keep me happy ;)

/Hejmdal


	30. Chapter 30

**Disclaimer:** Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima

* * *

 _ **ACT V: Ragnarok – The Fateful Encounter**_

 _ **Approximately X793**_

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

 **Chapter 30: Dragon Slayers, part 5**

 _Why was it so darn hard to kill one fucking dragon?_ Sting thought to himself as he quickly scanned his surroundings and saw the wounds that was covering the other Dragon Slayer's.

It was bad, especially because most of them was running low on magical powers as well as being kicked around like they were Acnologia's favourite toys. Or well maybe that metaphor didn't work, because that would make the dragon one disturbed and really violent kid, who had successfully delivered a lot of harmful attacks to his team members, which restricted their movements. Heck, even though Natsu was in his Dragon Force mode it looked like he had taken a serious hit to his rips at some point, since he often flinched and unconsciously placed a hand on them, when he did certain movements.

"Tsch..." Sting spat because he wasn't doing much better, since the bones in his right arm was more like splinters than solid material.

The worst part was that they had been soooo close to victory at one point, but sensing this Acnologia had gone utterly berserk. The dragon simply lost all rationality and was like a bestial animal that fought only based on his basic instincts.

It was bad and they could all use some healing and fortunately it looked like Wendy was close to being done with healing the celestial mage. Of course he couldn't be certain about that, but from what he saw it looked like Lucy was getting better.

"Damn it!" he cursed when the huge tail with ease swatted Rogue and Cobra away, sending them flying. Both of them landed with a crash and it was evident from their struggles that it was becoming harder for them to get up.

"Watch out!" the blonde heard Laxus calling over from the healer, but it was too late for him to evade the elbow of the dragon that directly hit his stomach. The force behind the impact was so strong Sting felt some of his intestines being smashed to bits, making him spurt out blood before his body rocketed away from the enemy. Sting barely had time to blink before he felt someone catch him from behind, which caused a ripple of pain to rush through his body before even more blood spurted out of his mouth, leaving him breathless and vulnerable in the person's hands.

"You did well" a deep male voice said before Sting was placed on the ground, where he sat heaving for air. As he did a tall man entered his field of vision and all though his magical presence was extraordinary and massive, Sting didn't recollect ever encountering him.

"Who...?" he managed to say before a female woman with long brown hair was suddenly sitting in front of him.

"My old man, now come on, let's get you patched up" she smirked before hoisting his arm over her shoulders, before wrapping one of her arms around his waist in order to support his body as they walked in Wendy's direction.

"Wait... I know you" Sting crooked an eyebrow "Cana, right?"

"Yup, one and the same"

"I see..." the Dragon Slayer smirked suddenly feeling uncomfortable "... well uhm... you can let go of me now, I'm fine"

"Yeah right" Cana snorted and pushed his body closer to hers.

"Seriously woman, I'm fine!" he blushed suddenly having a really strong urge to go battle Acnologia again.

"Shush! Now be a good boy and come with me!" the anger in her voice was so strong it sent an unpleasant shiver down his spine because there was something potentially lethal about it.

So not daring to protest against the ferocious woman Sting let her guide him in the healers direction.

 _Scary, no terrifying. Cana was one terrifying woman_...

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

After arriving at the battlefield it didn't take more than a few seconds for Gildarts to quickly scan and analyse the scenario, trying to figure out which approach was the best to take.

The Dragon Slayer's were all beaten up pretty badly and because of that it was nothing less than a miracle that he and Cana had stumbled upon Porlyusica and brought her along. Because of that it was fairly easy for him to reach a conclusion, about which actions was necessary to take, in order for them to at least have a chance in winning.

"Kids!" he shouted in a high demanding tone "You guys take five to recover, I'll keep him busy for long enough for Porlyusica to give you a quick fix"

"There's no way in hell I'm doing that" Gajeel roared back even though he looked so fatigued and battered, that if he took another hit it could be his downfall.

"Yeah!" Natsu agreed, even though he knew somewhere deep in his mind that the older mage was right.

"I've fought against him before and trust me, I'm not gonna make the same mistake as I did the last time!" Gildarts snapped as his magical aura started to become visible "Now go, I need space to do this or I might accidentally hit one of you in the process!"

Seeing the impressive and intimidating magic swipe violently around the older mage, it didn't take long for the Dragon Slayer's to agree with him as Acnologia's eyes was suddenly transfixed by the huge magical power that was flaring in front of him, which gave the boys the opportunity to flee. Of course Natsu still didn't want to do that, so Gajeel had to forcefully drag him away, giving Gildarts the opportunity he needed to take on the dragon.

"So you and me huh?" Gildarts smirked as he scanned his opponent and noticed the multiple and deep wounds on the dragon, that was oozing with blood, making the scales shine in a crimson color "Looks like the kids did a good job in keeping you occupied"

A deep and devastating roar pierced the air, as Acnologia turned his head upwards making his roar boom loudly all across the battlefield.

"You're not gonna answer me?" the older mage sighed as he cracked his shoulder, preparing himself for his attack "Well no matter, I didn't come to chat anyway"

Oblivious to his words Acnologia stopped roaring in order to fire a huge amount of fire in his direction. The flames immediately seemed to cover the mage in a shower of blue, making him vanish inside of it.

"Tsch!" Gildarts snorted impatiently "As if that would be enough to kill me"

With his hand raised above his head, he had successfully used his crash attack and was dissolving the fire turning it into tiny cubes that landed almost lazily beside him. Eventually all the flames was transformed and this seemed to confuse the dragon as he stopped the attack.

"Seriously my beloved daughter can burn me worse when she scolds me... or accidentally drops a kettle of hot coffee..." his eyebrow twitched when he remembered that incident.

"Oy, don't make it sound like it was my fault!" Cana interrupted "You should have seen I was carrying that kettle before violently hugging me! You old senile fart!"

Gildarts couldn't help smiling at her harsh words, as he launched himself into the air ready to strike the dragon.

"Disassembly Magic!" he roared which caused a huge net to spawn from his hand, before it rocketed towards the dragon. The pattern was shining brightly as it seemed to go through the dragon, before the light intensified and caused a huge explosion, momentarily making Acnologia vanish from their sight.

Once the light was gone multiple tiny versions of Acnologia started to rain down before landing on the ground with low thuds, all of them having eyes that had an x like form.

"Now this will be easy" Gildarts chuckled as the tiny dragons seemed to snap back to reality and started growling and running towards their target as an army of almost cute looking versions of Acnologia.

"Bah, you ain't nearly as annoying as the last person I used this attack on" Gildarts smirked earning a burst of outrage from a certain Dragon Slayer who felt insulted by that remark. He paid him no attention because Gildarts was soon busy trying to dodge the miniature dragons while simultaneously using his raw muscle power to smash the small things into mush underneath him.

Knowing time was of the essence the older mage wasted no time in getting as many of the small creatures as he could, before they would eventually turn into it's original shape.

Or whatever would happen, Gildarts honestly couldn't say for sure.

As time passed it didn't take long before the multiple versions of Acnologia that was alive started to shimmer and vibrate, before in the blink of an eye, reverted into the dragon's original form.

Needing to catch his breath Gildarts bounced backwards and stood panting as he tried to get a perspective on his opponent's health.

The wounds that had already been there had become even bigger, almost as if someone had ripped them bigger before pulling off huge chunks of meat, that had vanished. It looked incredibly painful, but since the dragon was still in berserk mode it didn't seem to have any affect on him, all though he did start roaring like he was in pain.

It was in all honesty a rather horrific sight, making Gildarts flinch before he had to dodge sideways as the dragon launched himself in his direction. Unfortunately he wasn't quick enough as the tail suddenly swiped down on him, hitting his head directly before he was sent flying from the force behind the target.

"Ugh!" he exclaimed in pain as body crashed against the ground that sent rocks flying.

Feeling dizzy Gildarts staggered onto his feet where he suddenly heard someone calling his name. It was too blurry to make out who it was, because the entire world was twisting in a weird way signifying his brain had taken some sort of damage.

"Damn it!" the older mage cursed when he suddenly felt something hit him from behind. The feeling was so strange that Gildarts had to look down to confirm that he had indeed been hit by something. Which was also rather evident by the claw that was suddenly piercing through his chest.

 _This is bad..._ he thought to himself before a river of blood spouted out of his mouth, splashing down on the ground.

"Dad..." a single female and gentle voice seemed to stand out, as the air was filled with his comrades and friends who was roaring and screaming. He couldn't hear them though, all his attention was focused on that female who seemed to be so close she was whispering directly into his ear.

"Cana..." he whispered in a fragile voice, when something suddenly seemed to click inside of his mind "... no..."

Gulping loudly Gildarts slowly turned his head to the side and his heart immediately sank when he saw that his intuition was correct.

"No..." his eyes widened in horror when he saw his beloved daughter stand right behind him, her body being pressed against his.

"Don't... look at me like that old man" Cana smirked teasingly and looked rather cocky, in spite of the fact her face looked extremely pale and weak, as blood trailed down her chin from her mouth.

Gildarts honestly had no idea what to say, as the dragon in a quick motion removed the claw, making both of them fall forwards before hitting the ground. Cana hit his back but her body quickly rolled over his before she landed right next to him.

"Cana..." Gildarts called as they laid next to each other, staring into each other's eyes. Both of them had lost a lethal amount of blood and none of them seemed to have any strength to get up.

"I'm fine..." the woman said in a caring voice, before she very slowly and with great effort placed a hand between them.

"... you..." the older mage started even though he still had no idea what he should say to her. The situation made him feel sad, frustrated but also frightened, but for some weird reason it was like his emotions was somehow being locked away deep inside his mind.

Gildarts was slowly dying and it was starting to effect his rationality and thought control. Actually all of his body was starting to grow cold and numb, but before that happened he managed to summon enough strength to gently place his hand above his daughter's.

"You..." a small smile played on his lips as he gave her hand a weak squeeze "... called me dad"

"Better late than never..." she said in a barely audible tone, but smiled nonetheless towards him.

It all happened so quickly and honestly Gildarts couldn't tell who of them died first. Maybe they did at the same time, but who cared about stuff like that. The after life was waiting for them and soon they would be reunited with Cana's mother and the love of his life Cornelia for the first time in what felt like forever. It had been ages but soon the little family of three would be together again.

 _And that couldn't be so tragic now could it?_

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

The outrage and horror was evident in the people watching as the majority of them started shouting portraying a variety of feelings at the sight of the two mage's getting attacked and ultimately dying from it. All the Dragon Slayers rushed in at the same time after that and even Wendy joined them this time as they ran as fast as they could. Not being that affected by the situation nor having their minds devoted on revenge, Cobra, Sting and Rogue quickly ran over to the two corpses and snatched them, before running back and leaving them with Porlyusica, Lucy and the Exceeds.

It was all too much for Lucy, who sat staring blankly in front of her, not seeing anything. She was too shocked to react, so her body was left completely motionless and stiff.

The sounds from the fight, her comrades yelling, Acnologia roaring, attacks colliding. She heard none of it, because it was like her mind was frozen in time, while all other stuff escalated in front of her making it sound like waves was rushing through her skull, deafening and leaving her even more isolated within her mind.

Lucy was so lost inside herself that she barely noticed the sudden commotion coming from the old healer and the Exceeds. She couldn't even sense the dark magic that had approached them, nor did she seem to acknowledge at first that someone was suddenly sitting right in front of her.

 _Black... everything she could see was black and blurry._

It was weird because she somehow knew that it was a person despite being so lost inside herself.

Whoever it was, it seemed possible that he or she was talking but the words was wasted on her, because she couldn't hear it. However she did feel a prickling sensation when something warm was placed on her cheek.

A tiny amount of confusion seemed to spark in her hollow and empty mind, when she felt something rub against her cheek.

 _It kinda felt like... a thumb? What?_

The confusion in her started to become more overwhelming and the feeling soon became the dominant part of her brain alongside surprise, when she suddenly felt something warm being pressed against her lips and of course she knew right away what that implied.

 _What the heck?!_

It was like lightning suddenly struck her, as shock completely overwhelmed her body thereby forcing her to immediately snap back into reality. Once she did Lucy quickly confirmed what was going on, which caused her whole body to stiffen in horror, because honest to god the last thing she had ever expected to happen was the dark mage kissing her.

Smiling and looking somewhat satisfied Zeref leaned backwards and glared at her. There was something in his eyes that seemed to look like affection, but she couldn't know for sure.

"I..." her jaw dropped visibly as she momentarily forgot where she was and what was going on.

"It would seem my strategy worked" Zeref smirked and looked rather smug.

"You..." Lucy sank before placing a shaking finger against her lip.

"Indeed" he nodded to himself, before getting into a standing position "I'm sorry for surprising you like that, but I need you to witness this"

"Huh?"

"I need Layla's daughter to see this coming to an end" Zeref added in a low and more menacing sounding tone as he almost gracefully made his way over to the fight between Acnologia and the Dragon Slayers.

"Time's up, you had your chance" Zeref said in a demanding tone, while throwing his arm dismissively to the side as he placed himself in front of Acnologia and the fighting humans.

"No..." Lucy shook her head as she watched the dark mage raise his hand very slowly in front of him "Watch out you guys!"

Nothing seemed to happen at first. Like literally it was like Zeref hadn't done anything, nor did her comrades react. However after blinking a few times she noticed that all of them had changed color like it had been altered turning into a inverted version, making them look black and white as they floated like they were somehow frozen in time.

"What?" perplexed and frightened by the sight, Lucy shakily got on her feet, her back aching a bit from the wound that was almost gone from her back "What have you done to them?!"

Not sure what else to do she ran in Zeref's direction while grabbing the hilt of her whip ready to strike him at any moment.

"Silly girl, I did nothing that would harm them" the dark mage smirked almost playfully at her "I simply stopped time for them, so they don't get in my way, I can assure you of that"

As he said that Zeref motioned with his hands making the bodies of the immobile Dragon Slayer's float away from Acnologia.

"What are you doing?" Lucy asked from beside him, still holding onto her weapon while debating what she should do about the situation.

"For safety... all though people consider me a cold hearted and evil mage, I am not so cruel as some might think"

"Eh?"

"You'll see" Zeref stopped his hands from moving, before a dark and ominous aura started to spawn around him. As it did he placed both hands in front of him on top of each other, with some of the fingers pointing in opposite directions and away from where the hands connected.

"Death Pillar" the dark mage said almost nonchalantly before a huge vertical pillar instantly exploded on top of the unmoving Acnologia.

The sight and feeling of the wicked power made Lucy gulp as her primal fears was evoked inside of her. But in spite of that she still had control of herself, because she was determined to make sure the others survived this, even if she had to save them herself. Fortunately their bodies seemed to be in a somewhat safe distance from Zeref's attack.

"Death Predation" the dark mage called as a huge dark wave was sent flying in an incredible speed towards the black pillar that started to crumble before combining with his latest attack. It was an impressive amount of magic, Lucy would not deny that fact, nor was she that surprise when it vanished and it became evident that there was nothing left, in the trajectory the blast had gone.

The ground was seared and withered but that wasn't the only thing.

 _Acnologia was gone, he had completely vanished from existence,_ Lucy thought to herself as she very slowly turned to look at the tiny man who was smiling to himself.

"Finally... I finally got my revenge" he chuckled and sounded almost insane for a second "Thank you Lucy" smiling a toothy grin that actually resembled Natsu's he engulfed her in a tight hug.

"I uhm..." her body froze because his physical reaction caught her off guard "... uhm..."

It was really awkward especially because the immobile Dragon Slayers was still floating in the air while being in a alternative color, while the war between humans, demons and zombies raged in the background. Besides he had kissed her, what gave him the right to violate her again with a hug?

After a while though Lucy couldn't prevent herself from letting out a sigh, before she returned his gesture and placed her arms around his waist, because why would she deny him at least some payback for taking out Acnologia.

They didn't stand like that for long before Zeref released her and took a few steps back and away from her.

"Uhm... so... can you please release them?" the celestial mage nodded towards the floating bodies hoping he would do what she asked.

"Yes" he nodded his eyes flashing red momentarily "This is not the end, not yet"

A unnatural and cruel laughter escaped from Zeref's mouth, making a unpleasant shiver run down Lucy's spine.

 _She didn't like the sound of that, not by a long shoot._

* * *

 **A/N:** Okay about the controversial curse and Zeref: Let me remind you I started on this story way before that was revealed, so I'm not gonna use it in my story (just like I'll use my own interpretation of Lumen Heart to some degree).

I hope you had a nice holiday and had an amazing time :D And uhm... sorry about the killing thing (no not really I kinda liked it to be honest).

Hugs and plushies,

/H


	31. Chapter 31

**Disclaimer:** Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima

* * *

 _ **ACT V: Ragnarok – The Fateful Encounter**_

 _ **Approximately X793**_

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

 **Chapter 31: Family Ties**

In families you share stuff. It was the same with the guild Fairy Tail, they shared good and bad times as a strong unity, which was why they could overcome hard obstacles because together they could fight anything. That was also why they could have the best of times, since they boosted each other's moral. So basically Fairy Tail was a family that was all about sharing.

 _But that didn't automatically imply that he was okay with sharing everything with his super annoying brother even if they were a family of some sort too! Hell fucking no!_

Natsu's body wanted to react but since he was paralysed in the air all he could do was watch as Zeref approached Lucy, before he smashed his lips against hers like it was nothing! Like it was his way of greeting her of something. Well hopefully it wasn't a habit his brother suddenly had gotten, because the thought of kissing Zeref did nothing to improve his mood. Quite on the contrary as he felt his anger rising to new levels.

 _Ohh and after that his brother had taken care of Acnologia with ease, before he started hugging the celestial mage like they were best buddies all of a sudden. That was a double up on no-noes, because he wanted to get the dragon for what he did to Igneel._

Growling in his mind Natsu felt an overwhelming urge to at least smash Zeref's face into a puddle of mush, hoping that it would teach him that there were some boundaries that should never be crossed.

The Dragon Slayer could feel his muscles prickling for a second, before his body suddenly started to fall at a fast pace before he slammed against the ground.

"Ungh!" he exclaimed in pain as the air was knocked out of his lungs, his ribs rippling with agonising pain from the attack he took earlier on. It didn't hinter him though from quickly bouncing up on his feet, before he sprinted in Zeref's direction while panting heavily.

"Natsu..." Lucy called his name, but he ignored it as he ran past her and in a swift movement smashed a clenched fist against his brother's cheek, making him fall down and land on his butt.

"How DARE you?!" the fire mage spat in fury as he snatched Zeref's clothes and brought him into a standing position so they were face to face with each other "You piece of shit!"

The dark mage blinked, looking oblivious to why there was this sudden hostility against him.

The other Dragon Slayers who had gotten back on their feet as well stood close by, ready to act if they needed to, but none of them knew what to do about Natsu who was throwing a tantrum against the dark mage. Besides this was probably a once in a lifetime moment to observe, so why not watch it and see the scene, that was like it was taken out of a soap opera.

"Don't look at me like that!" Natsu gritted his teeth in anger while staring daggers at his victim.

"Why not?" Zeref smirked teasingly, as he finally understood the situation "Since I fail to see why you're angry with me"

"Gosh, are you an idiot?!"

"I might be since stupidity is a family trait" the dark mage chuckled wickedly, earning a more ferocious growl to escape from the pink haired kid.

"Family trait my ass!" Natsu's eyes flashed red for a second as he brought Zeref's face closer to his own.

"Natsu... please stop" Lucy said in a gentle voice before placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Heck naw!" Growling he turned to look at her blood covered figure "This idiot crossed the line and deserves getting punished for... well not only for killing Acnologia but also for violating you!"

"I understand you wanted revenge but he's been dealt with isn't that what counts?" the celestial mage smiled reassuringly "And about the other thing I'm not mad about it"

"WHAT?!"

"I know I probably should be, but I'm not" Lucy rubbed her arms like she was cold all of a sudden.

Stunned Natsu stood perfectly still as he stared intensely at her, hoping it would reveal something. Perhaps it was because he hoped to catch her in a lie, but she looked so calm and collected that he was certain it was her honest opinion.

 _Well auch, that smashed his insides into splinters..._

"I see..." he said in a low voice "... okay"

Releasing Zeref he took a step backwards, his hair shadowing his eyes.

 _So kissing people wasn't something she regarded as something special, huh?_

"Tsch!" He spat in anger as he spun around on his heels wanting nothing more than using his remaining strength to smash some of the enemies until they were piles of blood underneath his fists.

"What's wrong?" Lucy asked because she knew all too well when Natsu was in a bad mood.

"Seriously..." Zeref rolled with his eyes sounding impatient "... why am I related to such a drama queen?"

"Shut it" Natsu growled angrily not in the mood for his teasing.

"Let me give you a lesson about women" the dark mage sighed heavily and sounded tired all of a sudden "But rest assured I only do this because this isn't the time for this sort of behaviour"

"I don't care..."

"You do! Now shut up and listen!" Zeref said in such a demanding and dark voice that it forced Natsu to turn around to face his brother.

"Right now you're butt hurt about this situation and sulking like a pathetic idiot, which is silly and stupid, because there's absolutely nothing for you to be angry about"

The Dragon Slayer was about to open his mouth to protest, but somehow managed to keep it shut.

"Lucy said the acts I committed against her doesn't influence her, which is true to some degree. However you are not considering her reasoning" Zeref motioned with his hand in a circle "Which is rather simple and easy to understand, because the fact she didn't mind is not only because this isn't the correct situation for her to be emotional, we are after all in the middle of a war. Unlike you, Lucy is a girl who can keep her composure"

"Tsch!" Natsu spat trying his best not to let the provocation get to him.

"Furthermore this girl has no personal connection with me, which is why she's so good to brush it off and focus on the situation. If it had been someone she liked, I'm pretty sure her actions would have been quite different"

"Really now?" the Dragon Slayer raised an eyebrow, clearly sceptic about that.

"Ohh I'm certain and I can prove it" Zeref smiled knowingly, before pointing towards the blonde "Go over and kiss her, then you'll see it for yourself"

"What?!" Lucy and Natsu screamed in unison, both of them blushing profoundly.

"I rest my case" the dark mage chuckled "If you don't get it now, then you really are hopeless"

"Uhm..." for the first time in a long time the Dragon Slayer didn't know what to say. It was like he was suddenly caught in the moment, his feelings twirling in a huge mixture and his heartbeat pulsating so fast it created a loud beating sound inside his skull.

"Now that is over with" Zeref nodded to himself, instantly going into serious mode "It's time for the inevitable to happen. Our battle can no longer be postponed"

"Yeah..." Natsu narrowed his eyes as he too brushed off his previous emotions and focused on the situation "... you really think you can take on all of the Dragon Slayers at once?"

"I could, but I don't have to" Zeref smirked as he raised his hand and snapped his fingers.

"What are you planing?" the celestial mage asked clearly not comfortable with the situation.

They both got that answer as the other Dragon Slayers started roaring, making them turn to look in their direction. To their surprise a few bigger demons had spawned with them, all of them having various looks which indicated that they were stronger than the minions, like the one Lucy had fought against what felt like ages ago.

"You summoned them here..." Natsu turned and looked at the culprit.

"Yes" Zeref confirmed "I don't want anyone interrupting our fight"

"We... do we have to?" Lucy asked her voice sounding sad.

"We do" the dark mage nodded "This is our destiny and what will determine the future"

"Yeah" the Dragon Slayer clenched his fists ready to attack.

"Please..." the blonde shook her head "... you don't have to do this"

"I'm sorry Lucy but he's right. This is something we're bound to do whether we like to or not" Natsu confirmed, because deep inside he knew this was an inevitable fight.

"But... you're brothers..." the celestial mage appealed "... you shouldn't kill your only remaining relative"

"Who said anything about killing him?" Natsu sent her a confused look "I'm just gonna beat him to a pulp, because this is a fight that's been under way for 400 years now"

"Indeed" Zeref agreed.

"Ohh..." Lucy muttered as her eyes darted between the two of them, because the atmosphere had suddenly gotten very serious as the two stood completely still, their eyes transfixed as they stared at each other in determination

 _This is it_ , the Dragon Slayer thought to himself as he took a deep breath, before exhaling the amount of air very slowly while closing his eyes. He needed to focus and keep calm in order for this to work. Which was really important because for him to succeed he needed to bring forth all the power he had in reserve, especially because his usual magic supply was running really low.

 _But he didn't want her to see it._

No, Lucy looking at him with huge frightened eyes was unbearable just thinking about. Besides he didn't want to be discouraged by it, because he needed to focus one hundred percent if he wanted to come out of the fight victoriously.

"Luce..." Natsu opened his eyes and gave her a sad look "... you should get out of here"

"What?" the blonde blinked feeling outraged "I can't do that, what if you need me?"

"Please..." his stomach sunk because the look in her eyes clearly told him, it was a futile effort to try and convince her to go away "... just leave, okay?"

"No... I'm not going anywhere" Lucy shook her head in determination, before pushing a key against her chest and chanting "Star Dress, Sagittarius form"

"Now that's a unique spell" Zeref muttered to himself fascinated by the sight.

"Shut it!" Natsu spat back in annoyance.

"Yes... I will shut it as you so proclaim" the dark mage said in a low voice and raised one of his hands "it's time to get serious"

"Uh-huh..." the Dragon Slayer took a deep breath and felt himself connect with the demon inside of him, making his markings pulsate and glow before it started spreading across his skin "... let's do this"

"Natsu..." Lucy sucked in her breath as she watched the transformation and before long horns had emerged from his head while his hands had turned into something that looked like claws.

"I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to tell you earlier" Natsu sighed and turned to look at her, which he regretted immediately when he saw her flinch in fright.

"It's okay..." she forced herself to smile, but it was painfully clear that all of her body was shaking from fear "... I'm glad that you... managed to control it"

"Yeah..." his eyes now shining in a red colour narrowed, before he turned his head to look at the dark mage, who smiled somewhat warmly as dark magic spawned around his hand.

Natsu didn't answer but raised a clenched hands were bright, warm orange flames mixed with black and ominous looking ones. And with that the dialogue stopped and the fight began...

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

It was a tough fight and there was no room for mistakes. Of course Lucy knew this was the case from the beginning, but it was still a lot harder even with Natsu using his curse to try and improve their chances. After all Lucy was close to her magical limits, so she couldn't summon any spirits

and soon she would be forced to primarily use physical strength. Which essentially meant she was aware that she couldn't keep using her Sagittarius Star Dress because each arrow used a small amount of magic, whenever she summoned one. So she was using her magic it cleverly as she preserve some of her magic for when she needed to change strategy.

Lucy was ready to attack when she watched Zeref fire a huge amount of darkness in Natsu's direction, but he managed to dodge it by a millimetre as he ducked underneath it. As he did this Lucy quickly fired an arrow in Zeref's direction, hoping that the dark mage was too occupied with his attack to avoid the incoming thread. Unfortunately that wasn't the case, because Zeref easily swatted it away with his hand like it was a mere fly that was irritating him. Which was rather annoying because no matter what she did, it didn't look like her arrows had any effect.

Ohh well at least it was annoying the guy and it was keeping him somewhat occupied, even if it was only by a little.

Actually Lucy almost felt out of place in the fight, not because her attacks didn't do a lot to improve their chances of winning, but because the two boys was both using what could look like somewhat similar magic. Or well Zeref was using his usual mass of darkness while Natsu was using a combination of his regular fire and the black fire that came from his curse and because he was low on magic, he was primarily using the power provided by his demonic side.

 _If only she could improve the power in her arrows,_ Lucy thought and bit down her bottom lip, as she ran across the battlefield, because Zeref had launched an attack against her, which she successfully dodged by running. As she did an idea formed in her head, but the problem was timing it correctly, so she would have to pay a close attention on the attack patterns from both opponents.

Not letting that fact get to her she quickly summoned another arrow she fired against the dark mage, but again he just used his hand to destroy it.

 _Focus Lucy, any second now._

The blonde watched carefully as Natsu dodged a roundhouse kick from Zeref before the Dragon Slayer tried using a clenched fist to deliver an uppercut to the dark mage, however he avoided it by leaning slightly backwards.

 _Catch his attention._

She thought while sending yet another arrow towards her target, which flew directly into the gap that was between Natsu and Zeref. As it did the Dragon Slayer used the momentum to spawn fire around his elbow he forcefully slammed against his brother, who was caught of guard and was sent flying backwards a few metres.

"Got it!" Natsu yelled to her as he easily bounced backwards, before quickly making his way to her position.

"Ready?" Lucy asked while raising her bow.

"Yup!"

Sucking in his breath Natsu yelled "Fire Dragon's Demonic Roar!" before a combination of black and orange brilliant flames was sent flying. At the same time Lucy quickly summoned her arrows and fired a bunch of them that intertwined with the fire, making it curl up around them improving their speed and power as they rocketed towards their target.

Zeref saw the attack incoming and quickly summoned a huge wave of darkness, but it was too late to destroy everyone within his range which meant one of them dug into his stomach and another made it's way into the meat of his left arm. The dark mage didn't scream in pain instead he made a groaning sound, that sounded like he was annoyed about the situation as he stood staring at them.

"Awesome Luce!" Natsu smirked as he looked in her direction, which caused her to flinch a tiny bit inside because she still wasn't used to his eyes glistening in that crimson color that emitted death and anger.

"Yeah... you too" She forced herself to smile briefly before her eyes found their way to Zeref's unmoving figure.

"You shouldn't be so quick to celebrate" their opponent shook his head as he effortlessly removed the arrows from his body, causing blood to spatter from the wound. Just as it started pouring with blood, dark magic emerged around the wounds where multiple black strings spawned before they started crossing like fine threads together with each other, until the wounds eventually vanished.

"Oy, that's an unfair trick to use!" Natsu pointed an accusing finger at Zeref who shrugged in return.

"When it regards love and war nothing is fair. That's my advice to you, as your older brother" the dark mage chuckled, making the Dragon Slayer fume in annoyance.

"Don't you spout out nonsense like that all of a sudden, you immortal stupid... brat!" Natsu growled "Now shut it and bring it on!"

And with that said the fight continued once more.

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

Lucy had no idea how long they had fought, when she suddenly saw a person running in their direction. The man she recognised as Jet showed no sign of stopping, because he was clearly busy delivering essential messages across the battlefield.

She knew it wasn't the time to catch a break, but still she really wanted to know how people were faring in other places. It itched in her to know that everyone was alright and nothing bad had happened to her precious friends.

The blonde was watching him from the corner of her eyes debating what to do, when she felt something suddenly grabbing her neck. It had only been momentarily, but the split second she wasn't focused Zeref used that as an opportunity to strike.

"Tsch, tsch this will not do" the dark mage shook his head "Not at all"

"Let her go right now" Natsu roared when he saw his brother's hands tightening its hold on her neck, making Lucy gasp and pant, because she was suddenly struggling to breathe.

"I will... I can assure you of that" Zeref smiled as he tilted his head to the side "But I want both of you focused on our fight and if I need to give you a little leeway, then that's what I'll do"

 _What does he mean by that?_ Lucy wondered as her lungs started to burn, indicating she needed air really soon.

"You'll see" the dark mage sighed and a second later he vanished from their sight, making Lucy suddenly fall down since there was no longer anyone holding her body.

"Umpf!" she exclaimed when her body hit the ground, where she sat rubbing her now sore throat while gasping for air.

"Are you okay?" Natsu asked clearly worried about her condition as he placed his claw like hand on her back.

"Ye... yeah... fine" she panted and forced herself yet again to smile in his direction.

"Now let get this over with" Zeref said as he reappeared and dropped Jet in front of the duo.

"Jet... how are you...?" Lucy started but the pain in her throat caused her to cough loudly as she tried getting more control of her breathing.

"Why did you bring him here?" Natsu asked sounding both angry and suspicious.

"Because he carries information and it seems that Lucy can't concentrate unless she receives an answer" Zeref smirked and looked satisfied with himself for a second.

 _And why wouldn't he be, he was right on the money with that one._

"Jet, how are you? How is everyone doing out there?" Lucy managed to say this time as she turned to look at him.

"D-d-d-d-dd-d-d!" the fast runner sat stuttering with his finger pointing towards Natsu.

"What's wrong?" she encouraged him to speak, not fully understanding his reaction.

"Demon!" Jet finally managed to say, with tears of fright spawning in the corner of his eyes.

"What the heck man?" the Dragon Slayer crooked an eyebrow "I ain't no demon"

"Ohh..." Lucy wanted to facepalm herself for not realising it right away, because obviously Jet had never seen Natsu in this form. Heck, it had only been herself and her team that had seen him transform. Sure the rest of the guild knew about it, but they hadn't seen it for themselves.

"Yeah you are!" Jet stubbornly said, holding on to his belief.

"Jet, he isn't a demon, that's Natsu" Lucy smiled hoping that the fact didn't frighten him too much.

"WHAT?!" his eyes bulged "Is that why he has pink hair?!"

"Yeah, that would be why" she nodded wanting to chuckle at his response.

"I... I see..." Jet smiled nervously avoiding looking in Natsu's direction "... but what am I doing here?"

"I..." Lucy bit her bottom lip and regretted being in this situation for a second "... how is it going out there?"

"I'll be honest with ya" all nervousness was replaced with a serious attitude as he stared at her "It isn't good but it isn't too bad either at the moment"

"Okay that's something at least. So how are everyone doing?"

"They're.." his eyes darted momentarily to look at Natsu before he continued "They're doing great, there's nothing for you to worry about. Honestly we'll pull through somehow"

"You're lying" the pink Dragon Slayer stated, in a voice that wouldn't take no for an answer.

"I..." Jet sank clearly intimidated by the more demonic presence his friend had taken "You should focus on yourselves and your fight here"

"Is it that bad?" Lucy sank dreading what he was implying.

"Just tell them already" Zeref moaned as he flicked a finger against Jet's forehead "My patience is growing thin"

"Oh... oh kay" the poor mage stuttered feeling scared that the dark mage had touched him so nonchalantly "There's been some... set backs, but I've been ordered not to tell anyone that doesn't know since it might influence their fighting spirit. So uhm... what I can tell you is the minor demons are pretty much under control now, the bad news is that we're still struggling on how to find a method to kill the corpses. This means a lot of teams have already finished their own fights and are currently supporting those who are dealing with the dead army"

"That's good, but you're still hiding something aren't you?" Natsu said in a serious tone.

"I... okay I'll tell you" Jet sighed heavily "Some of our comrades aren't doing so well"

"Ohh..." Lucy blinked and felt a cold droplet of sweat trailing down her forehead.

"Some of our comrades have been severely wounded, to the point that it might be fatal" Jet looked at the ground because he couldn't face them any more "But it's gonna be fine because they're all being treated at the healing facility Poly quickly established with the Exceeds help"

"No..." the celestial mage shivered uncontrollably as sorrow and disbelief entered her system.

"But they aren't dead?" Natsu asked sounding optimistic.

"True" Jet answered not looking in his direction.

"You're still lying" Zeref said in a dark tone before he placed his hand on Jet's shoulder and gave it a firm squeeze.

"I... I... can't tell them..." Jet's voice cracked painfully as tears flowed down his cheeks.

"Ohh you can and you will or you'll see how fast you can run without legs" the dark mage threatened making the three humans gulp loudly.

"Ye.. yes... of course" the poor man snorted clearly frightened "There's been some casualties... we tried our best but it was too late. Sawyer from Crime Sorciere, Beth and Risley from Mermaid Heel... Jenny from Blue Pegasus, Bacchus from Quatro Cerberus and Yuka from Lamia Scale... they're all..."

"Dead we get it, so what is the status on the Fairy Tail members" Zeref said clearly not satisfied with the runner.

"Mest..." Jet took a deep shaking breath before continuing "Evergreen and Lisanna... they... fought so hard but in the end we couldn't... no one could save them..."

"And if that's all then I suggest you get out of here, before you accidentally get caught in our fight" Zeref said in a cold tone, signifying he was done with the little information exchange.

"Ye-yes" the fast mage sluggishly got up on his feet, before he started running away in a pace that suggested he was too overwhelmed with sorrow to run fast.

With him leaving nothing but dust in his place, it was time for the two mages to learn and deal with the burden of suddenly being confronted with the truth about war, because it was like Zeref said to them earlier in love and war nothing was fair. Death and casualties are always a possibility which is why war shouldn't be taken lightly. For each enemy they took down, there was the chance one of their opponents would take one of their own down.

It was a sad truth but a factor none of them could ignore any more.

* * *

 **A/N:** Sorry for killing people off panel, it's just this story is already waaaay longer than I wanted it to be and there are still a lot more content to come. So... yeah -.-'

With that said I think the updates will be a lot faster really soon, because I'm getting to the part where I can copy paste from a lot of stuff I've already written, which is pretty neat ^^

To guest reviewer: Thanks for bringing that up. I think you're correct in thinking Acnologia be a big thread against Zeref, especially after we saw Natsu almost Koing him. However this story and the plot was organised a long time ago and in this story, Acno is heavily wounded from fighting the Dragon Slayers, so it's fairly easy for Zeref to deliver the final blow. Hope that makes sense :3

Anyhow the next chapter will be out soon (hopefully), until then have a great day :D

/H


	32. Chapter 32

**Disclaimer:** Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima

* * *

 _ **ACT V: Ragnarok – The Fateful Encounter**_

 _ **Approximately X793**_

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

 **Chapter 32: On a highway to hell**

Everything seemed to stop after Jet had delivered his sad news about their fallen comrades, making both Lucy and Natsu stand completely still as they tried consuming this tragic turn of events.

 _How? Why?_ The Dragon Slayer thought to himself, trying his best to deny the news.

"No..." the celestial mage muttered beside him, her entire figure trembling with sorrow making it all to clear to him that this wasn't a hoax or vision someone had placed inside of his mind.

His friends was dying, it wasn't a complete victory. Of course he knew that, but it was a thought he didn't take as serious as he should have. A flashback from before the war entered his mind, where he had tried his best to encourage Lucy. As he remembered this he heard his own voice speaking: " _However we need to keep strong and believe in our own conviction that humanity will win, or else it's a battle we've already lost... I ain't allowing anyone to die. You can be sure of that"_

The thought made cold sweat spawn all over his body, as he sat paralysed because it was a lie, he couldn't save them. Of course it was silly of him to take that pressure on his own shoulders, but that was just his nature. He wanted, no he needed to save everyone, even if he had to risk his own life doing so.

Crushed and feeling defeated, a new feeling started to spawn deep within himself as something that felt like fire started to burn and consume him as it started spreading.

 _They should pay... whoever did this should be punished and it had to be with his own fists._

Growling in a low voice, he felt how the anger started to pulsate through each fibre of his being and as it did, he could feel his muscles starting to prickle in pain like something inside of him was shredding his insides to pieces.

 _You need to fight it!_ The demon hissed inside his mind _I warned you didn't I? I told you not to summon this power if you're not ready to face the unrestricted powers it contains! You need to calm the fuck down or things will go bad! Are you listening you pathetic brat?!_

Natsu's mind was such a turmoil of feelings combined with the demon yelling at him, that weakened him to a degree that his knees suddenly buckled underneath him, sending him down into a kneeling position where he sat panting.

"What seems to be the problem?" Zeref asked while cracking his knuckles "This is far from over, so can you stop being so overly sensitive?"

"Natsu?" Lucy sat down next to him and watched as strings of black started to slowly edge its way over the whiteness in his eyes, making her gulp before continuing "What's wrong?"

Not answering the Dragon Slayer's body started to shake uncontrollably as his insides started to tear at him more violently, because the anger inside of him was fuelling his curse in such a way it was starting to attack his own body. He knew that he needed to suppress his feelings, but it was hard doing so because it was like his anger was being in an endless circle, because each time his body was aching it seemed to ignite his fury. It wasn't like he didn't try to fight it, it was just in his nature to react with a stubborn sort of anger, whenever he took damage.

Lucy didn't know what to do and sat in panic as the black color in Natsu's eyes kept moving and of course the Celestial Mage instinctively knew that this couldn't be a good sign.

"Ohh well" Zeref shrugged as he glanced at the two mages "Seems like my stupid brother is out of commission for now. That leaves you and me Lucy to finish this fight"

"I..." the Celestial mage gasped, because she was suddenly in a though spot, being pressed from two sides, one taking care of Natsu the other fighting the dark mage.

"Now my dear girl it's time for us to dance!" Zeref smiled warmly as he raised a clenched fist that was engulfed with his dark magic.

"No..." Natsu muttered as he watched the blonde press a key against her chest, changing into her Taurus Star Dress "... Lucy..."

"I'll keep him distracted for a while, so please do your best to fight your own battle" the blonde smiled encouragingly at him before sprinting in Zeref's direction.

"... stay..." he whispered and watched in horror as the girl started battling the dark mage, because it was a battle he knew she couldn't win. Her opponent was too powerful and she was worn out from fighting for so long.

Feeling desperate he felt a new sort of emotion spawn inside of him, as he watched the girl doing her best to keep up with her opponent.

 _Self loathing..._ he utterly despised his own lack of actions, because what was he doing on the ground fighting his stupid curse, when he had to settle the score against his own brother?

"Stupid... pathetic" growling and grinding his teeth firmly against each other, a cloud of darkness seemed to slowly consume his mind, while a dark aura started to engulf his body.

"Keep it together!" Lucy called trying to support her comrade but he didn't hear her words. No all there was inside his mind was a ferocious anger that acted like it was an animal that enjoyed scratching his mind and body into shreds.

Not thinking straight he closed his eyes and sat in a bobble that erased everything around him and soon his mind was at a standstill as it tried balancing on the edge, where he was close to losing his mind to the curse. As he sat like that Natsu didn't hear the sudden commotion that was happening around him, nor did he hear that the battle between Lucy and Zeref had taken a new turn.

However he didn't stay oblivious as someone suddenly engulfed him in a tight hug, making his eyes snap open in surprise which made him stare into a huge cleavage.

"Luce?!" Natsu asked as he recognised her scent "Wha...?"

"It's okay" she chuckled "Just relax"

Feeling bewildered he turned his head to look at Zeref who was battling Laxus and Makarov all of sudden.

 _When did that happen?!_

"Lucy-san, Natsu-san!" Wendy yelled as she ran in their direction "You okay?"

"We're fine" the celestial mage said in a tone that clearly revealed they weren't.

"Just sit still, then I'll do some basic healing on you" the tiny girl smiled as she placed radiating hands above them "I can't do much, but I'll do what I can"

"Thank you" the blonde said and let out a sigh.

"Lucy?" Natsu tried to catch her attention again, even though his mind was still raging in a lot of different directions, like his entire skull was on fire.

"Shh, it's okay" she whispered and placed her chin against his head "You need to calm down, do you remember when we meditated?"

"Uh-huh"

"Focus on your breathing and try to imagine every breath of air is a remedy that removes your darkness"

Not questioning her advice, Natsu did what he was told and started taking deep breathes while trying to imagine that the air was like healing waves that entered his system and washed away his anger and pain. It took a while of repeating this before his body seemed to enter a trance like state where he unconsciously wrapped his own arms around Lucy, before he rested his face against the soft pillows that nature had provided the Celestial mage to have.

The Dragon Slayer didn't know how long they sat like that, because at some point he managed to drift off and snore ever so slightly. Which was only natural considering the turmoil his mind and body had already been through.

So while Natsu and Lucy got a moment to relax but also being healed a bit, another fight was happening right in front of them, that was interesting on a lot of levels.

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

Laxus and the other Dragon Slayer's used a lot of magic in their fight against the huge demons, which was why the group stood panting trying to regain their composure, when they eventually won against their foes.

None of them said anything for a long period of time, that was until they noticed a small person approaching them, which caused the blonde man to turn his head to look in the person's direction.

"Gramps" he nodded as a way of greeting him making the old man nod in return.

"I know you're all tired from fighting against so many opponents, but I'm here to ask you a favour" Makarov said in a stoic voice as he took in the people around him.

"What is it master?" Wendy asked sounding genuinely curious.

"I ain't following your orders" Erik spat stubbornly earning him a hard gaze from the tiny man, which caused the poison Dragon Slayer to look in another direction before muttering "Whatever man"

Coughing into his hand Makarov continued to speak "I want you guys to seek out the groups that are fighting the corpse army Acnologia left behind. Tell them that if they want to slay them they need to figure out a way they can turn them into nothing more than dust. They can electrocute them, burn them to a crisp or whatever they can with their powers, but they need to turn them into atoms and then spread their remains so they can't duplicate themselves"

"As I recall you read a story to me when I was young when they used that method on vampires. Is that your source old man, huh?" Laxus chuckled making the old man blush from the accusation.

"It doesn't matter where the solution came from, as long as it works then that's all that matters" Mavis said as she suddenly appeared beside the guild master.

"Yeah I guess" the lightning mage shrugged.

"Now Laxus and Wendy I want you to come with me" Makarov pointed at the two before turning his attention to the remaining slayers "And I want you to distribute this valuable information. Originally I would have made Jet do it, but he's... emotionally distraught and out of commission so it's up to you guys to do this!"

Sting, Rogue, Erik and Gajeel was all in different shapes but they took on the assignment in silence before scattering in all directions.

"Shouldn't we be out there delivering the message as well?" Laxus asked trying to figure out what the old man was thinking.

"No, we need both of you for what's coming up next" Mavis stated in a firm tone "Wendy we need you to perform some basic healing on the participating people in this next fight"

"And what is my role in this?" the blonde enquired.

"This is a fight you must fight with us" Makarov smiled somewhat warmly at him "After all since the beginning it's been Fairy Tail's legacy to take out the dark mage once and for all. That's why we need you there and you know why"

"I..." Laxus narrowed his eyes not liking where this was going "... because of what we talked about back at the guild?"

"Yes... when the time comes you know what to do" the old man answered, looking almost fragile for a second.

"Like hell I'm gonna...!"

"Shut it, brat and do as I tell you!" Makarov snapped surprising the blonde because he wasn't prepared for that sudden outburst of anger.

"This isn't time to fight amongst ourselves, we need to go" Mavis said and started walking away, closely followed by the two Dragon Slayers and the guild master.

"So..." Laxus started "Not to sound rude or anything but what are you gonna do Mavis? I mean you're a ghost so isn't it limited what you can do?"

"Don't worry" the tiny blonde smiled brightly "I have an important role in this as well when the time is right"

"Ohh it wasn't like I was worried about you or anything" Laxus blushed because he seriously wasn't he was just curious.

"Are you okay?" Wendy chuckled teasingly while eyeing the lightning mage up and down "You seem flustered all of a sudden?"

"I do not!" he huffed at her teasing and ignored her chuckling.

No one said anything after that as they made their way to the place where Zeref was currently battling against Lucy, who was clearly way over her head.

"Lucy-san!" the tiny healer called before she noticed Natsu in his demonic form who had his eyes closed for some reason like he was struggling with something inside himself "Natsu-san!"

"Woa, that's the annoying brat?" Laxus said as he took in the kid "Whatever, Wendy run to him we'll keep Zeref occupied for you to do some mending on the both of them okay?"

Not waiting for her answer Laxus used his lightning to quickly rush over to the battle where he placed himself in front of the blonde girl, before using his magic to counter an incoming attack.

"Laxus?!" Lucy asked in a bewildered tone from behind somewhere him.

"This isn't the time for greetings, go help that idiotic moron over there with whatever the fuck he's struggling with"

"I... thank you, we'll join you as soon as possible"

"Yeah, yeah" Laxus smiled wholeheartedly towards the dark mage who was sending him a curious look.

"Well, well who do we have here?" Zeref asked as Makarov arrived as well with Mavis who was invisible to their opponent.

"My grandson" the old man grumbled "So you better not underestimate him"

"I see I'll make sure not to do that then" tilting his head to the side he smirked "There's another one here isn't there? I can feel her presence"

"She might be" Makarov answered "But that is none of your concern, we're here to make sure her promise on behalf of our guild is fulfilled"

"Tsch, see if I care if she's here or not" the dark mage rolled with his eyes "But if you so dearly wish to die, trying to finish something that silly girl said long ago then go ahead. I'll make sure to wrap you up and offer you as a gift for her, so she'll finally understand that Fairy Tail can't and never will be capable of finishing me"

"You talk too much" Laxus roared as he summoned lightning that flickered all across his body in asymmetric patterns "Let's do this emo kid!"

With that the lightning mage and Makarov entered the battle against the dark mage hoping with all of their might that this was the final battle in order to win the goddamn war.

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

Laxus was firing his lightning magic against their opponent, while Makarov smoothly evaded and delivered attacks as he successfully covered the battlefield with a speed that was quite impressive especially considering his old age. Because of that the duo was doing pretty well since their magic was compatible with each other.

"Gramps!" the lightning mage yelled making his grandfather move out of the way as he made his way over to their target "Roaring thunder!" successfully hitting the dark mage with his fist, multiple lightning strikes was summoned and stroke Zeref making the man stumble backwards.

"Rain of light!" the old man roared as multiple beams of lights spawned from his hands and was sent rocketing like they were glowing arrows towards the dark mage, who was still covered in the remands of Laxus attack. Once the master's attack hit him Zeref raised his arms in front of him, forming an x as he tried protecting himself from the incoming amount of magic.

"Impressive..." the dark mage panted as the lightning eventually evaporated "... I'll give you that"

"I don't give a damn what you think" the lightning mage snorted defiantly "But could you just die already?"

"Mmm, so you're the impatient type, huh?" the dark mage smiled wickedly "It kinda reminds me of someone with pink hair"

"Oy! I'm not anything like that immature kid!" Laxus eyes widened momentarily before he once again made lightning spawn around his hands. The sound of Mavis giggling warmly because of his reaction did nothing to improve his mood, quite on the contrary.

"Now listen here! I will..." the lightning mage stopped when he heard an unnatural sort of hissing sound suddenly spawning somewhere behind him.

"Dragon... slayer..." a weird sound seemed to cackle in a barely audible voice.

Responding to the creature Laxus spun around on his heels and found himself staring into one of the demons he and the other Dragon Slayers had fought against earlier on. It was weird because he was absolutely certain they took care of all of them, so how the fuck was this one still alive?! Actually it did look more dead than alive, with the deep cuts and huge gaps where there once had been meat, which was bleeding in a steady stream.

"Dragon..." the demon made a weird gurgling sound in it's throat that almost sounded like it was trying to chuckle.

"I don't like this" Mavis whispered to herself as the creature suddenly launched itself in the lightning mage's direction.

"You should have stayed dead" Laxus grumbled in annoyance as he clenched his fist and moved his arm backwards, ready to strike the incoming enemy when it was close enough.

"Laxus don't!" the previous guild master called "It's a trap!"

Unfortunately the warning didn't reach the lightning mage in time as his clenched fist hit the demon, which had no effect whatsoever.

"... slayer" the thing whispered it's eyes widening and shining with insanity as it quickly grabbed Laxus's neck before raising his free claw behind him, where a lot of dark looking flames spawned.

"Makarov!" Mavis called in a desperate tone, but the tiny man was already on it as he was running in his grandson's direction.

While this was going on Zeref stood watching with a satisfied looking smile, seemingly enjoying the show in front of him.

"You piece of shit!" Laxus roared in anger as he spawned more of his lightning magic around his hand, as the demon's claw came swinging down, making him catch it before it managed to deliver an attack towards him. As it did the demon seemed to smirk as the lightning seemed to intertwine with the black looking flames, making the fire grow larger around the claw like it was sucking out the energy in Laxus's magic, turning it's own power more potent.

"Leave my grandson alone!" Makarov roared in a voice that clearly stated he didn't want the demon to mess with him before he called "Giant Wrath" making light spawn all over his body, the power being so potent the ground started shaking before it was sent in the demon's direction.

"Dragon..." their opponent released Laxus, making him fall down and roll over in order to avoid the incoming attack.

"Stop!" Mavis called but it was too late as the light hit the demon. As it did their opponent once more tried to chuckle as the black fire seemed to consume Makarov's attack, making it grow in strength.

"Slayer?" the demon questioned as it ran towards the guild master at such a high speed that it caught the man off guard as a claw engulfed with a massive amount of black flames slashed down at him.

The attack didn't hit him once or twice, but multiple times making the ground soaked with blood as it was sent spattering everywhere.

It only took a second before Laxus realised what was going on, making his heart pound loudly inside his head as he prepared himself to stop the demon from literally slaughtering his grandfather, but before he got there Zeref had made his way over to them.

"You monstrosity" the dark mage fumed with hatred "You... you dare to take his life when it was mine to take? You imbecile! Feel my wrath as you go back to hell!" he hissed in anger as dark magic spawned around the demon, licking all over it's body making the creature scream in agony and pain until the magic eventually consumed it, leaving nothing but darkness in it's place.

Feeling a mixture of emotions Laxus watched the dark mage take a few steps backwards where he stood perfectly still with his arms crossed, clearly pissed about the situation.

"Stupid idiotic creations" Zeref sighed loudly "Sorry I gotta take a quick breather to settle my emotions"

"Gramps?!" the lightning mage called as he took in his relative on the ground, who was bleeding profoundly.

"No..." Mavis said her voice trembling with sorrow.

"Gramps!" Laxus continued to call as he crawled over to him and quickly scanned the master's body. The meat on the old mage was torn so badly that it was impressive that his entrails wasn't spattered all over the place.

"Shit!" the blonde man cried as he tried his best to use his hands to prevent more blood from leaving Makarov's body but it was a futile effort "Wendy get over here right now!"

"Ye-yes!" the healer stuttered as she made her way over and immediately placed her glowing hands above their master's body.

"Can you heal this?!" Laxus yelled, making the poor girl flinch in fright "Can you?!"

"I... I..." the healer shook profoundly because there was nothing she could do and it was obvious she couldn't bring herself to tell him that.

"Wendy, please!" the lightning mage pleaded to her but he still didn't get a reaction from her.

"Laxus... stop it" Mavis said in a gentle voice as she placed her hand on his shoulder "You're frightening her.

"I..." the blonde man bit down his bottom lip as he looked at the trembling girl "I'm sorry Wendy"

"It.. it's okay..." she answered now sobbing freely.

"Master... this can't be happening " Lucy sniffled in a low voice as she tried waking up the Dragon Slayer but nothing seemed to happen.

"Laxus..." the master called in a tiny voice making him exchange a look with his grandfather.

"Yeah, what is it?" he answered sounding almost grumpy and tired.

"You know what to do..." Makarov coughed making blood spatter from his mouth "... you..."

"I don't want to!" the lightning mage's voice cracked as tears ran down his face "Not like this!"

"Promise me!" Makarov shouted making Laxus bow his head in defeat.

"Of course I will, you stupid old fart!" feeling angry and incredibly sad, the lightning mage slammed a clenched fist against the ground "God damn it!"

"Good..." the old mine smiled "... you're now officially the next guild master"

"Master..." Mavis cried while squeezing Laxus's shoulder.

"Watch over him..." the old man took a deep breath his eyes starting to get clouded.

"No, don't you dare!" the lightning mage shouted in distress as Makarov's eyelids started to close "Gramps!"

Not answering the master exhaled deeply, but he never took another breath after that, which caused Wendy to remove her glowing hands before she started to cry into her hands, too sad to say or do anything else than let the feelings consume her.

"FUCK!" Laxus roared in both anger and sorrow as he picked up the tiny man and started hugging him closely against his own chest "Damn it old man!"

Feeling powerless and fragile Laxus knew that this was the end of an old era as another one started, leaving the future of the guild in his hands.

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

Crying... someone was crying somewhere near him, but Natsu couldn't hear who it was. Everything seemed muffled like it was part of a distant dream, which was why it took him a few seconds to realise that there was more than one person who seemed to be in misery.

 _What was going?_

Starting to come back to his senses, he felt his body aching all over as he opened his eyes only to find himself staring into a lot of skin. Soft skin actually that felt incredibly good against his face, but he tried not to dwell on that part because there was definitely something horribly wrong. People was crying and he could smell the salt from the tears that was being spilled. Furthermore Lucy was holding him so closely against herself like he would vanish if she didn't and because she was doing that he could feel her shivering so gosh darn much, that it pretty obvious that she had experienced something tragic as well.

"Luce...?" he called feeling anxious and worried as he carefully snaked out of her arms, in order to look at her tear streaked face that looked like she had just seen something so horrible, that it had shattered her heart into splinters.

A droplet of cold sweat streamed down his forehead, as the lack of response from the girl caused a foreboding feeling of horror to enter his system, before he slowly turned his head to look at Wendy who was crying her eyes out, while Laxus was holding something closely against his chest. Whatever it was it was something that was drenched with blood. Actually the more he looked at it the more convinced he was that something or someone was about to die...

 _Wait a minute..._

His eyes widened in utter terror while the air got caught in throat, because he knew right then and there who the lightning mage was holding.

"No way..." Natsu's mind blanked completely as he sluggishly made his way over to three mages "... it can't be"

"I'm sorry kid" Laxus exhaled loudly as he gently placed the tiny man on the ground "It's too late"

"But..." he shook his head in denial "Wendy?"

"She did what she could" the lightning mage said sounding really tired "Besides she can't revive the dead"

"No... no he can't be" Natsu kept shaking his head as he eyed the master, taking in the massive claw marks that had torn him apart.

 _Claw marks..._ a static sound cackled weirdly in his mind as he once more remembered what he had done to his own teammates, this time it mixed up with the scene in front of him replacing the old man with his friends bodies, like it was some weird horror show.

"I didn't..." his pulse started to drum dramatically in his head, as it started to drown reality, making the sounds that surrounded him start to vanish rather slowly, almost as if he was drowning in his own mind.

Struggling to breathe he started to hyperventilate as he took a few steps backwards and away from the bloody scene. The girls was still crying but he vaguely heard that as flashbacks of the master entered his mind, from times they had shared together both good and bad. As they flashed in his mind a wicked laughter suddenly spawned, before all the memories seemed to shatter as if they were being ripped apart inside his mind. While the pieces started to fall something red seemed to drop ever so slowly in his field of vision, making it look like it was raining with blood.

 _Screaming... someone was crying and screaming in what sounded like a weird and painful choir that sang their sorrows in obnoxious tones._

"I..." Natsu sank his saliva and felt his knees buckle underneath him, before he fell down on the ground "... can't... breathe"

The bloody rain seemed to continue to fall in front of hi,, while everything inside of him was being ripped to shreds and as it did he didn't notice that Lucy was suddenly sitting beside him, trying to calm him by patting his back.

 _You have to fight it before it's too late!_ Someone seemed to scream somewhere inside of him but he could care less about others.

His mind was ravaging with painful thoughts and soon it started pulsating through every fibre of his being, making his muscles vibrate and feel numb almost as if an invisible force was taking control of his body.

 _Dead... dead and gone. All the people he cared about would eventually die, leaving him all alone..._

Igneel, his foster father, Makarov and Gildarts which he saw as father figures that had been important and influenced him during his youth was gone. He saw Igneel vanish for the second time and now his two other father figures was gone as well, which was suffocating him.

The bloody rain suddenly became a huge wave in his vision covering everything in a crimson color.

 _Someone should pay... after all it wasn't his fault he was suffering..._

Something inside of him snapped at that moment, making him take a deep breathe before an ear

piercing scream escaped from his mouth. The sound was so loud that it caused a huge shock wave to form, making Lucy hug herself closely to him in order not to get blown away.

As the scream intensified he felt saliva slowly falling down his chin, before his rationality started to fade away.

 _Fight it!_ His demonic side screamed as he tried to appeal to him once more _Don't give into it!_

Natsu didn't want to...he truly tried fighting it but he couldn't... too weak and fragile his emotions was in such a turmoil that he couldn't control anything.

Still screaming Natsu felt the pain intensify before reality was swept away...

 _It was too late... too much... it hurt... it fucking hurt..._

* * *

 **A/N:** Yup Makarov died... I'm sorry (?) but he had to go, because it was important to finish him off according to the plot ^^

Zeref is such a good sport when it comes to fighting. I know that's how I made him, but I like him having some sympathy and giving the group some room to grief their loss and stuff like that. I think he is a neat guy :)

To guest : Thank you for your review! Yeah it's kinda sad they died and to be honest I couldn't kill any more in the actual chapters, because I knew stuff in this chapter was gonna happen.

Rest assured though that there wont be any more deaths... well at least for while *whistles innocently* ;)

So next up, sh** hits the fan yet again! *le chuckle*

Be good, be smart and take care! :D

/H


	33. Chapter 33

**Disclaimer:** Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima

* * *

 _ **ACT V: Ragnarok – The Fateful Encounter**_

 _ **Approximately X793**_

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

 **Chapter 33: Dance with the devil**

It all happened so fast. One minute Lucy was holding on to Natsu, who was screaming in such a unnatural and high-pitched tone that her ears was hurting, the next she was the one screaming in pain when a claw suddenly dug into her side, before her entire body was flung away. As she rocketed away she was mere seconds away from smashing her head against a gigantic rock when Zeref caught her, preventing her from getting her skull smashed to pieces. She barely noticed that though, neither did she seem to register that warm hands gently guided her into a sitting position on the ground

"Ugh!" Lucy groaned, her eyes firmly shut for a moment, as she tried her best to ignore the intense pain from her newly acquired wound. While doing that she unconsciously placed a hand above her torn flesh, trying to prevent blood from spouting out of her body.

"You..." Zeref's whispered in a low voice that was filled with sadness.

Breathing heavily through her mouth, Lucy opened her eyes and looked at the dark mage and to her surprise he looked terrified but also slightly angry. She didn't know this, but at that moment the dark mage was thinking about a woman who looked similar to the celestial mage but also another blonde, who had died in his arms.

An unnatural and vicious growl made a chill run down her spine, before she reluctantly turned her head to look at the demon. All though Lucy had seen him in this secondary form before, it was still frightening and heartbreaking to watch. His skin was once more covered with scales, his claws looked even longer and more lethal. Furthermore his feet had turned into claws as well.

"Please..." she pleaded to no one in particular, while watching the demon's wings as they slowly unfolding behind him, while he sat perfectly still in a crouched position, his head bend forwards making it impossible to see his facial expression.

An unnatural snarl formed in the demon's throat as he very slowly started raising his head, but for some reason his eyes were closed, almost as if he was concentrating about something.

"Natsu..." Lucy whispered his name and instantly regretted it, when he snapped his head in her direction and opened his eyes.

His eyes was glistening with pure hatred and madness as he shot her an intense stare, that was foreboding with death. It looked so unnatural and cruel especially because the whiteness in his eyes had turned black, making his pupils seem so much more threatening because of the contrast in colour.

As she kept staring at him she couldn't prevent herself from shaking uncontrollably as her primal fears was evoked, making cold sweat stream down her body.

Lucy didn't know why, but for some reason there was something even more demonic and wicked about him. It wasn't just his piercing and intimidating stare that felt like he was looking right into her soul, but it was also the aura that was radiating from him. For some reason it was more threatening and more suffocating than it had been when she first saw him in this form.

A flash of pain from her wound made her flinch, before biting down her lips to prevent herself from screaming both in pain and terror. Her movement however didn't go by unnoticed by Natsu who quickly turned his head to look at the wound and the blood that was streaming through the celestial mage's fingers. The former Dragon Slayer didn't say anything but just sat there staring, like he was hypnotised by the sight.

"Natsu?" Lucy narrowed her eyes in confusion by his lack of response.

"Are..." she tried moving, but immediately regretted that as an unbearable pain shot through her system "... can... can you hear me?"

Still not saying anything the demon looked up and into her eyes, his face looking plain and emotionless.

"Please... answer me" her voice cracked painfully as tears formed in the corner of her eyes.

A long silence followed where they just glared at each other, but after a while the demon opened his mouth indicating he was about to speak.

"Just... say something" Lucy pleaded again, hoping to get a reaction. Still not getting one, she watched as Natsu's pink tongue slipped out of his mouth, before he started licking his lips for a few seconds.

"Ohh..." the demon's eyes widened as he stopped licking his lips.

"Ohh?" Lucy blinked and unconsciously clenched her hand tighter against her wound.

"Yes..." Natsu quickly scanned her body and started humming, as he raised the claw that was drenched with her blood up to his face "... yes"

"What is it?" the celestial mage asked feeling rather confused.

"The blood is on my hands again..." Natsu smiled widely revealing his teeth "... look!" he started laughing hysterically before placing his blood dripping claw underneath his nose, where he inhaled it's scent "A young vintage it is, yesss"

Natsu chuckled before he licked one of his fingers, making a trail of blood visible on his tongue before he started smacking with his mouth, evidently tasting what he had just consumed.

"No..." Lucy shook her head in disbelief, feeling her heartbeat fasten as panic started to rush through her system.

"Something's wrong..." Zeref whispered beside her "... this isn't right"

"Ohhh, you think this isn't right lil' bro?" Natsu laughed sounding completely insane, before he tilted his head to the side glaring at the two of them in turn "I thought you wanted me to kill you? Just like everyone else ends up dying all around me. My dad... the master... Gildarts... my entire guild... the dragon's... Lucy's mom... heck even I died! Is that why I'm END? Because everything I know will meet their end?"

The demon's eyes widened and glistened with pure madness as he continued "Eeeeverything dies... my curse... is not anger, no it's enduring seeing everyone die, be it by my own hands or by association"

"It wasn't your fault!" Lucy yelled hoping to gain the demon's sanity.

"Ohh but it was!" Natsu chuckled wickedly "You said it yourself this is all because of my messed up family"

"You know I didn't..."

"Mean it like that?" his voice was suddenly filled with anger "Of course you didn't, but that doesn't mean I don't believe in it"

"But you can't..." Lucy shook her head refusing to accept what he was saying

"I'll fucking believe whatever I want!" growling the demon got into a standing position where he clenched his hand and in a quick movement he launched himself into the air "I'll give you your end now, because why wait for a heartbreak when I can finish it right now"

"No..." Lucy whispered as she watched the demon in an unbelievably fast pace, closed the distance between them. His claws was mere inches away from her head, when something interrupted the attack as a black wall suddenly appeared between them. A millisecond later the demonic claw hit the wall making him growl in anger.

"She is not your target" Zeref hissed as he bend down next to the blonde girl and placed a hand above her wound.

"Tsch!" Natsu spat as black magic emerged from the dark mage's hand "So you're killing her instead is that it?"

Lucy didn't know what to say or do so she sat perfectly still, as the wound on her stomach started to close.

"No..." Zeref sighed sounding impatient "... my magic is more than death and destruction, how else do you think I could create my demons. This specific type of spell is destined to breathe life into something else"

"Whatever man, see if I care, what lame spell you use" the demon groaned loudly.

The dark mage didn't give in to the provocation, but turned to look at the celestial mage, who sat stuttering because everything about the situation felt weird. It was like everything had turned upside down reversing everything especially Natsu and Zeref's roles.

"Uhm... thank you? I uhm..." Lucy started but stopped because she didn't know what else to say.

"You need to run" the dark mage said in a serious tone "I have the feeling he will target you again"

"I... I can't do that" Lucy said feeling outraged by his proposition.

"Ohh..." Natsu hummed to himself "... so my lil' bro wants to turn this into a game of hide and seek... mmm interesting"

There was something so potentially lethal dripping in the demon's voice, it sent a shiver down the celestial mage's spine.

"Girl..." Zeref narrowed his eyes "... do as I tell you"

"No..." she took a deep shaking breath before sending the dark mage a determined look "... I'm not gonna run away"

"Aww come on, it sounds like it could be fun" Natsu said and started chuckling but it quickly turned into him laughing hysterically.

"Tsch!" the dark mage spat "Listen I don't want any more of your blood on his hands and I can't protect you from him"

"I don't care!" she shook her head "Besides I can protect myself"

"And if that ain't enough..." a deep voice suddenly spoke from behind them "... I'll have her back"

"Laxus..." she gasped feeling mildly surprised.

"It's gonna be fine I promise you" Laxus said before he started patting her head.

"But..." she said before glaring at the lightning mage in concern "... are you...?"

"I'm fine" Laxus sighed loudly "This isn't the time to mourn our losses"

"Excellent!" the demon's eyes widened as he cracked his knuckles "I'll crunch each of your fucking skulls, quicker than you can say pretty please"

"Shut it!" the blonde man said in an impatient tone as lightning emerged from his fingers, making it smash the black wall before he quickly ran in the demon's direction and engaged in battle with him, Zeref quickly following behind him making the unlikely duo fight the previous Dragon Slayer.

Lucy was about to do the same, when Mavis suddenly stood in front of her.

"First?! What... is something wrong?" the celestial mage asked in surprise.

"You could say that..." the tiny mage shook her head and smiled wholeheartedly "... but this just means we need to change strategies, you'll see"

And with that said the first guild leader vanished, leaving Lucy confused and staring into thin air.

"What?" she wondered briefly, before quickly snapping back to reality. After all this wasn't the place to space out, she had to figure out how to stop Natsu and make him turn back into his usual self. Lucy didn't know how but she was determined to figure it out somehow.

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

"Come on Laxus I know you can do better than that!" Natsu teased his opponent while easily avoiding a lightning strike, as he smoothly bend backwards and in a swift movement turned a somersault away from the attack.

"Dark Orb!" Zeref called as a huge linear black mass was shot in the his direction, which Natsu was millimetres away from being caught in, but fortunately he still had momentum from his previous dodge, so it was easy for him to flip to the side and out of range.

"You guys are too predictable!" the former Dragon Slayer chuckled wickedly as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, which caused him to be distracted for a second, but that was enough time for a certain blonde to make her move.

"Lucy punch!" she screamed before her clenched fist slammed against his abdomen, making him snarl in pain as his stomach instinctively made him crouch forwards. Simultaneously with this Laxus roared "Lightning Dragon's Heavenward Halberd" before hurling a massive lightning spear in the demon's direction. Lucy quickly jumped out of the way, but Natsu wasn't that fortunate as he took the attack head-on making him scream in pain as the lightning fluctuated and pierced his skin continuously as it kept lashing at him, like they were multiple electric whips that kept on going.

 _Fucking hell this hurts!_ Natsu thought in annoyance to himself, not hearing Zeref calling his next attack, before he felt the dark magic that suddenly formed all around him in a huge pillar that moved upwards in a vertical line, making his screams more audible as the pain intensified.

After a while the darkness and lightning vanished leaving Natsu heaving for air, as his skin prickled and burned from the attack that had left multiple small fractures on his body. Fortunately his scales took the most of the blow, but some of his exposed skin had been ripped making it look like a cat had used him as a scratching tree.

"Hell..." the former Dragon Slayer fumed as he took a deep shaking breath "... no!"

"Don't be mad kiddo, just because you're at a disadvantage" Laxus growled as lightning once more sparkled around his clenched fist.

"Tsh! Don't call me a kiddo, you big loaf of unintelligent bread!" the demon snapped in anger as he unfolded his wings behind him and started hovering above them.

"I ain't no bread, you moron!" the lightning Dragon Slayer scoffed not at all being taunted by his opponents outburst.

"Yeah you are" Natsu lips curled backwards into a lethal looking smile as he rocketed over to Zeref, catching his head with his claw before he threw his brother towards Laxus "And here is your filling! Ohh wait we need something"

 _This is gonna be great!_ The demon laughed in his mind as he in a flash flew over to Lucy, who he immediately threw towards the other two mages making them all tumble into a bundle on the ground.

"Bwahahah!" Natsu guffawed mockingly while pointing a claw at the pathetic looking humans "Now that's what I call a sandwich! Or perhaps I should call you ground beef, because that's what you'll look like when I'm done with you!"

"You sure do talk a lot, huh?" Zeref asked before positioning himself in a defensive stance.

"Aww, you don't like the sound of my angelic voice?" the former Dragon Slayer said in a playful tone as he quickly made his way over to his brother where he caught him in a tight hug "My sweet little brother"

"Let me go, this instant" the dark mage grumbled in a low voice as he tried squirming his way out of the hug.

"Ohh I'll let you go" his eyes darted over to Lucy who looked both frightened but also uncertain about something "Because I get it now... ohh yes I do you pathetic low life!"

Anger... ohh the anger that escalated through Natsu's veins felt so delightful that it made his vision blur for a second as he forcefully threw the dark mage at Laxus, catching the blonde man off guard again and causing them to tumble over as they collided with each other.

"Coooow girl, it's your turn!" the demon sang, his voice dripping with malice as he quickly flew towards the blonde where he easily caught her in a tight hug.

"Nnnngh!" Lucy squealed and twisted trying to snake out of her position.

"Ohh come on giiiirl, don't you like my makeover, mmm?"

"I... uhm... it's not" the girl stuttered, clearly perplexed about his sentence.

"Sure it isn't... well could it be..." Natsu leaned closer to Lucy's ear and whispered in a low raspy voice "... that you secretly like this?"

"What?"

"You know me becoming like this..." he growled before digging the tip of his claws into her back "... and Zeref being your new best friend"

"No I don't..." she shivered clearly frightened by his outburst.

"Liar, liar pants on fire!" the demon growled his eyes glistening with pure hatred "This wont do, no not at all. People who lie should be severely punished, so they can't keep spouting their lies"

 _And he knew the right way to do that,_ he grabbed a chunk of her hair and forcefully yanked her head backwards, making her scream in pain from the sudden motion. Ohh the sound of her screaming made his skin prickle with joy and the feeling didn't lessen as he took a deep breathe and inhaled her scent.

"Shhh..." he hushed almost reassuringly while licking his teeth before he instantly plunged his canines into her neck making the girl scream in agony and fear.

 _Don't ya worry darlin', in a second I'll rip your throat out and it'll all be over,_ he thought as a smirk lingered on his lips before he put more pressure into the bite, making blood stream more freely into his mouth.

 _Ohh well he was getting slightly thirsty anyway..._

"Let go of her this instant!" a female voice that dripped with malice came from behind him, before he felt something spiky being pressed against his back.

"My, my..." Natsu removed his mouth and cast a glance over his shoulder "... Erza, it's a pleasure to see you again"

"The pleasure is all yours, I can assure you of that" she narrowed her eyes and used the moment to place her sword against his neck "Now let her go before I slit your throat"

"You wouldn't do that" the demon smiled in arrogance.

"She will and even if she hesitates for a second I'll do the job for her" Gray said as something cold and sharp was pressed against his side.

"Ohh so you're here too buddy" Natsu smiled as he removed his arms from Lucy, making her tumble down on her butt, before he turned around so the three of them was facing each other. As she did Laxus quickly ran over and scooped Lucy into his arms and away from the demon.

"What happened here?" Erza enquired in a serious tone.

"Nothing much" he shrugged lazily "The master died, causing me to lose control over the curse"

"Then I suggest you get your control back" Gray narrowed his eyes evidently measuring the situation.

"Naaw that ain't happening" the demon sighed loudly, before crossing his arms in front of him.

"Why not?" the scarlet haired woman

"Come on I don't wanna waste my time explaining something so boring..." Natsu rolled his eyes impatiently.

"Ice Devil's Zeroth Destruction Bow!" Gray roared all of a sudden and pointed the arrow somewhere behind the demon "Hold it right there or I will fire!"

"Uhm... you really are slacking if you can't see where I'm standing?" the demon questioned his opponents actions.

"It's okay... Wendy stay back, we've got this" Laxus roared before exchanging a look with the dark mage "I know this might seem odd but for now Zeref is our ally"

"He WHAT?!" Gray's eyes widened momentarily in surprise.

"It's true..." Lucy said in a fragile voice, before she started coughing loudly into her hand.

"I see" Erza nodded to herself "So it's five against one, huh?"

"Ohh yes!" Natsu giggled enthusiastically as he licked his lips and removed the iron tasting liquid from them.

"Very well" the armored woman responded "Rest assured we will continue this fight, until you tell us how we can restore you to your former form"

"Faaair enough miss ladybug!" he spat on the ground as a sign of him agreeing to her terms "Now let's play shall we?"

 _It would be fun... ohh yes for him to unleash his anger and use his curse to make them all burn to crisps would be magnificent._

* * *

 **A/N:** I'm having way too much fun typing from insane Natsu's POV. The only rule while typing his personality is there are no rules! He can do whatever he wants and I love it. Unleashing him like this is the most fun I've had typing in ages XD

Important note: This happened off panel but while Zeref, Natsu and Lucy was busy, Laxus ordered Wendy to take cover and be ready if they needed first aid healing, because they all know this is gonna be a hard fight.

For "fun" note: The demons are dead, there are only zombies left (besides END) :3

Anyhow, I gotta go do stuff – you guys have a nice time and enjoy your weekend (if you have time off from work/school/etc.)

/H


	34. Chapter 34

**Disclaimer:** Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima

* * *

 _ **ACT V: Ragnarok – The Fateful Encounter**_

 _ **Approximately X793**_

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

 **Chapter 34:** **Crazy demon is crazy**

Lucy had been surprised but also frightened when Natsu suddenly bit down her neck with the intent of killing her. That he had this intention was pretty clear for her, because his aura had fluctuated and radiated with malice portraying a primal animal that had finally caught his prey.

It scared her so much she barely noticed the pain, as everything was replaced with a weird static sound that drowned her surroundings. Lucy was still in this weird emotional state when her body suddenly fell down on the ground, where she for a second before Laxus quickly came to sweep her away from the demon, who seemed to be momentarily occupied by the sudden presence of Gray and Erza, which made it easy for them to flee.

"You okay?" the lightning mage asked clearly concerned about her.

"Ye-yeah" she stuttered her throat prickling from almost being ripped out by the former Dragon Slayer as they destined themselves a bit from the demon and their two guild mates.

"I guess this is fine for now" Laxus said to no one in particular as he placed the blonde on the ground "We need to stop the bleeding somehow" he muttered more to himself as he placed his huge hand above her wound.

"Allow me to be of assistance" Zeref said nonchalantly making the blonde man eye him suspiciously before he scooted away to make room for him.

"Silly girl..." the dark mage whispered and shook his head as he traced her neck with a warm hand trying to investigate her wound.

"Hold it right there or I will fire!" Gray shouted all of a sudden while pointing a bow in their direction.

"It's okay... Wendy stay back, we've got this" Laxus quickly looked at the healer who was currently hiding behind a huge rock. It was obvious she wanted to assist them with her healing, but it was essential that she preserved some magic for later on. After that Laxus quickly exchanged a look with Zeref before continuing "I know this might seem odd but for now Zeref is our ally"

"He WHAT?!" Gray's said clearly surprised.

"It's true..." Lucy started but speaking made her throat itched so much that she started to cough loudly into her hand.

"You can take care of her right?" Laxus asked the dark mage, who nodded in return "Very well, I leave her in your hands but rest assured if you try any funny business with her I'll be back to fry your ass"

"Funny business?" Zeref blinked with a confused expression on his face "I've heard that sentence before however that was regarding someone hinting towards the act of love making. I can assure you that wont happen since this is not the time nor the place for such a thing to occur"

"... yeah you're clearly related to that stupid pink haired brat..." Laxus whispered, his eyebrow twitching in annoyance before he quickly sprinted towards the occurring battle.

"Oh well" the dark mage shrugged before turning his attention towards Lucy who was panting and trying to recover her breath "Does it hurt?"

"It's not that bad" she smirked weakly, making the dark mage roll his eyes because he clearly didn't buy her lie.

"Uh-huh" sighing a few strings of dark magic shot out from the tips of his fingers before they started repairing her torn flesh, which was done rather quickly.

"To be frank I'm not that experienced when it comes to human bodies, but I'm quite certain your neck will hurt for a bit, because unfortunately I do not have the ability to repair bruises"

"That's okay" Lucy smiled genuinely "thank you"

"I... well..." the dark mage blushed while scratching his neck looking somewhat sheepishly "... it was an easy task"

"Even so I'm grateful, that you healed me again" her smile widened making the other mage blush more profoundly.

"Uhm... well... uhm" Zeref coughed into his hand and stared in the other direction before he sighed loudly "I guess there is one more thing I can do to help you"

"Ohh?" Lucy blinked and watched curiously as Zeref reached inside his garments and pulled out a white piece of cloth that had a checked pattern on it.

"I stole it when we fought him" he said before handing over Natsu's scarf which she accepted right away "Since it's a precious thing to him, I doubt he wants it to be affected or destroyed by his curse"

"That's very considerate of you" she gasped while carefully wrapping the scarf around her neck, instantly feeling the warmth from it soothing her throat "Thank you"

"Yeah..." Zeref avoided looking in her direction, his cheeks turning pink again as he slowly got into a standing position, where he somewhat casually offered her his hand "... if you're ready we should join the others"

"You're right..." Lucy nodded and accepted the hand that smoothly helped her up on her feet "Let's go, we need to stop him before something bad happens"

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

At first it had been utterly fun fighting his comrades, but as the fight continued the more furious Natsu got. Sure he pretended that he was dominating and crushing the pathetic humans, but the truth was something else entirely, because even though the mages were somewhat exhausted, they had so much goddamn will power that they didn't stay down.

"Fucking fairies" he snarled while dodging Erza's sword, before flipping backwards in order to avoid another gosh darn frozen arrow from Gray, but as he did a lightning from Laxus managed to strike him, making his flesh prickle and burn in pain from the currents that was burning through his system.

"Just snap out of it already" Zeref sighed impatiently as black wires of magic shot from his fingers, lashing towards the demon at an incredible speed before they snaked around his body tying him like they were black ropes that prevented him from moving even an inch. As Natsu was immobilised the other mages from Fairy Tail stopped and stared at the two brothers, all of them wondering what the dark mage was about to do, but also ready to take action if the situation demanded them to do something.

"Tsh! As if this will hold me for long" Natsu teased mockingly as he struggled against the black magic, trying to measure their strength against his own physical strength.

"Well then I better make sure I take advantage of the time we have, wouldn't you agree?" Zeref cracked his knuckles as he casually strolled over to his younger brother.

"Ohh, this might get interesting" the demon crooked an eyebrow while sending the approaching figure a challenging look.

"I assure you, there will be no pleasure in this"

"Is that so, mm?" Natsu sang as black magic spawned around the dark mage's hand.

"Yes" Zeref nodded and for some reason looked rather sad "This fight is meaningless, so it's time I use a different method to get some answers"

"So my lil' bro wants to play with me?" the demon said, his eyes widening "I feel soooo privileged" he chuckled wickedly, feeling how the insanity within him appreciated the fun he was about to have.

"Shut it, and tell me how to undo this state of yours" the dark mage's eyes glistened in a red color, portraying he was dead serious.

"Come on that's a stupid question" he exhaled having a foreboding feeling that the game wouldn't be as amusing as he had imagined.

"Tell me!"

"How about... mmm... no"

"So be it" Zeref said, his voice sounding cold before multiple small arrows of concentrated black magic shot towards the demon, where it pierced through his skin and straight through the ropes that held him. As the flesh was ripped into small wounds the flesh that was hit started to rot, sending an agonising pain through Natsu's body which caused him to voice his suffering with heartbreaking screams.

"What are you doing?!" Erza asked sounding horrified.

Ignoring the woman Zeref stopped the attack and asked once more "Tell me how to undo this state of yours"

"Tsch! Maybe if you try putting in some force I might answer you" Natsu's lips curled backwards into a lethal looking smile "Go on, do it! I dare you to"

Narrowing his eyes the dark mage raised his hand and clenched it, which caused spikes to grow from the ropes which dug into the demon's meat, making it seem like he was inside an iron maiden.

The pain was so intense this time, because some of it dug so deep into his body that it was starting to smash his organs, which caused blood to flow out of his mouth as more piercing scream filled the air.

"Stop this right now!" Gray snarled as he stepped in front of Zeref, who stared back at him with a somewhat bewildered look.

"You..." breathing heavily Natsu's body fell slightly forwards, where the mixture of blood and saliva streamed out of his mouth before landing on the ground "... stay out of this"

"What?!" the ice mage asked and turned around to exchange a look with the demon.

"Ohhh don't look at me like that" Natsu winked towards the ice mage "I promise I'll play with you later, my precious"

"... seriously you're fucking creepy..." Gray's body twitched in discomfort.

"Zeref stop it" Lucy said as she placed herself beside the ice mage "This isn't the solution and you know it"

"Perhaps, however our efforts so far have been futile" the dark mage exhaled and looked somewhat frustrated.

"We'll figure it out somehow" the blonde smiled warmly, making Zeref blush in return.

"Get a room will ya" Natsu rolled his eyes clearly not liking what he was seeing.

"A room?" Zeref raised an eyebrow clearly not understanding that hint "I'm sorry but I fail to see why we need a room in this current situation"

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" Natsu roared and felt thoroughly annoyed but also unreasonably angry.

"What?" Zeref asked sounding genuinely surprised.

"Like heck you don't know what I mean! You sneaky bastard!" his eyes flashed in madness and unrestricted hatred. After all he remembered all too well that his relative had dared to kiss Lucy like it was nothing.

 _Blonde girls always have the most fun, huh? Ripping out hearts and using them as earrings because that's high fashion or something. Baah! Stupid girls and their retarded way of manipulating guys._

The anger was so brutal and threatening that his aura around him grew more visible. As it did he could feel it enter each of his muscles, fuelling the power behind his curse making him roar loudly, as he once more used force against the dark magic that was restraining him. This time however they snapped quite easily, earning him back his freedom to move.

"I'm done with this shit!" Natsu growled furiously "It's time I remove the fucking bitch for good!"

Not wasting time he quickly closed the gap between himself and the celestial mage, causing him to catch her off guard as he grabbed her scarf covered throat with his claw.

"Ugh!" Lucy moaned in pain as the demon tightened his hold on her.

"Let her go!" Erza growled her voice dripping with anger "Or I will behead you"

"Ohh, don't worry I intend to do that" Natsu chuckled somewhat wickedly as his wings unfolded behind him, before he bend his legs and used the position as a catalyst to shot himself high up into the air.

"Come back here!" Gray yelled before slamming a clenched fist against his other hand "Ice make..."

"No, you might hit Lucy" Erza stated as she placed a hand on the ice mage's shoulder and shot him a piercing glare "I'll take care of it"

"Fine" Gray grumbled feeling somewhat annoyed.

"Watch out!" Laxus yelled, as Gray and Erza felt heat coming from above them, but none of them had a chance to react before they felt strong arms grabbing them, making them fall and tumble on the ground until they eventually stopped.

"What..?" Erza muttered in confusion when she saw that it was the lightning mage that had grabbed them with his muscular arms.

"I told you to watch out" Laxus grumbled as he let the other mages go and got into a standing position, where he let out a loud sigh as he scanned the sky.

"Thanks..." Gray said before getting up on his feet "Where is he?"

"Gone" the lightning mage stated.

"What?! How?!" Erza growled in outrage "We were only distracted for a few seconds, how is that even possible?"

"Dunno" Laxus shrugged lazily "Evidently it was enough time for him"

"Damn it!" Erza cursed as she requipped into her Black Wing Armor "I'm going after them"

"But you don't know..." Gray started.

"I don't care!" the scarlet haired woman snarled before launching herself into the air, her wings flapping to gain more speed as she flew.

Hopefully Erza would get there in time, before something horrible happened.

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

Natsu was listening to the blonde's moans and feeling her hands struggling against his claw as he flew through the air, ignoring the battle that was going on underneath them.

This time he would make sure he killed her. Ohh yess, even if he had to do something as basic as snap her neck.

The former Dragon Slayer had a lot of creative and utter horrible images of her death displaying in his mind, making him laugh out loud. Honestly the ideas was somewhat hilarious, because each and every one of them involved spilling her blood all over the place.

 _Everything should be coloured in a crimson colour..._

The demon didn't know for how long they flew, but suddenly they were above some rather step and sharp looking mountains.

"This should do it..." he whispered to himself with a smirk, before raising Lucy up so they were eye to eye with each other.

"Nn..." the celestial mage gasped, trying to call his name but it was impossible for her to speak with his claw clenched so hard against her throat.

"You ready to die, hm?" he hummed before tilting his head to the side.

Not being able to answer Lucy just stared back at the demon, her eyes shinning with pain.

"Or do you want to plead for your life, like the pathetic human being you are" Natsu spat before he in a quick movement removed his claw from her throat and instead grasped her shoulders, preventing her from falling down.

The celestial mage didn't answer but gasped loudly, before she hungrily started breathing through her mouth to gather sufficient oxygen to enter her body.

Natsu didn't say anything, but patiently waited for the girl's answers.

 _Because he was a goooood demon! Ohh and on top of that he was a mother fucking dashing looking demon who knew how to dance! Haha!_

A chuckle escaped his lips, making the girl send him a bewildered look.

 _Speaking of dancing he should teach those humans some moves when he got back. Death by dancing... how delightfully artistic, no?_

The chuckle turned into a full blown laugh, making the girl in his grasp shiver from what he presumed was fright.

"I..." Lucy started in a low voice, abruptly stopping the demon's laughter.

"Yeah, go on"

"I... I want..."

"Uh huh, let me hear you say it"

"I want..."

"You want to live, right?" Natsu's lips curled back revealing his shiny teeth.

"... want him back"

"Hahaha! I thought so! I..." the demon's eyes widened when he realised what she said "... what?"

"Give him back to us!" Lucy yelled her voice filled with conviction "Please!"

"You..." Natsu growled in anger "... shouldn't say that"

"Why not? If you just give him control..."

"Like hell I'm giving anything back!" he snarled his claws digging into the girl's arms, making Lucy bite her lip to prevent herself from screaming.

"Besides..." the demon continued "... there ain't anything I can do about it. This body is consumed by the curse and there's no way it can return from that"

"What?" Lucy's eyes widened in horror.

"It's all over!" Natsu snickered "Even the rationality from the demon is gone! I'm what you might say completely insane"

"You can't..." the blonde gulped, a single droplet of sweat trailing down her forehead.

"Ohh but I can" his eyes glistened with madness, confirming his statement.

"Please..." she shook her head in denial.

"Tsch, you can please my ass all you want, that ain't gonna get you anywhere"

"But..."

"Heh, I say ass, you say butt" Natsu licked his teeth before continuing "Is this one of your perverted games?"

"N-no!" Lucy stuttered, her cheeks blushing.

"Suuuure it is"

"No!"

"Riiight..." Natsu sighed heavily, before sending the blonde a determined look "... anyway I don't have time for silly games, it's time for you to die"

"Please..." Lucy shook her head.

"Fine!" the demon groaned and rolled with his eyes "If you insist then sure why not"

With that said Natsu brought Lucy's face closer to himself, before he pressed his lips against hers, making her flinch in surprise, before her body became completely stiff.

 _Interesting_ , the demon thought as his tongue slipped through his lips, before he started trailing it against her mouth.

Lucy didn't react to his actions but kept perfectly still, probably because his actions disgusted her.

 _Well fuck her anyway!_ Natsu thought as he stopped his actions and glared at her for a brief moment, seeing that she was not at all amused.

"Ohh well" the demon shrugged "There you have it, your goodbye kiss"

Lucy opened her mouth and was about to say something when a childish laugh escaped Natsu's lips.

"Now bye by~ye" the former Dragon Slayer sang before he removed his claws from the blonde's shoulders, thereby dropping her and making her fall towards the mountains underneath him.

She was screaming his name, all the way until her falling body vanished into a deep cliff, where he soon heard the sound of something hitting the ground.

"What a relief" Natsu exhaled loudly before he started massaging the bridge of his nose "What a fucking relief"

 _Time to crash the party_ , he thought before flying in the direction the war was in.

The demon didn't fly for long before he spotted a black dot coming in his direction, making him wonder briefly who it was before the scent revealed the person's identity.

"You!" Erza shouted when she was close enough.

"Yeah me" Natsu smirked deviously "Don't tell me you missed little ol' me so much, you came all the way here"

"Where is she?" the scarlet haired woman raised her sword, not giving into his taunt.

"Ask politely, then I might answer your question" Natsu huffed before putting one of his claw like fingers into his nose, where he started digging after a bogey.

"Nngh!" clearly struggling Erza clenched her teeth together before continuing "Please tell me where Lucy is"

"In the mountains somewhere" Natsu removed the finger from his nose and lazily shot a piece of snot towards a mountain behind him "But I don't recommend going there, I mean after the fall she took, her body should be nothing more than a puddle of blood and broken bones"

"What..." Erza's hands grabbed more firmly around the hilt of her sword.

"It was simple really. I held her in the air, kissed her goodbye and then let go of her" the demon tilted his head to the side "Good enough explanation for ya?"

"She can't be..." the armored woman growled in denial.

"If you don't believe me, go see for yourself" he turned and pointed at a specific mountain "I dropped her over there, so feel free to go poke her remains"

"Tsch!" Erza snorted in anger as she flew past him and in the direction he had pointed.

 _And here he thought he was the crazy one._.. Natsu grinned widely as he flew off in the other direction, looking forward to the prospect of seeing more of his former friends die.

* * *

 **A/N:** Ohhh I'm starting to enjoy Zeref and Lucy as a pairing. They seem so cute together for some reason *.*

Other than that I shortened the fights a bit compared to what I originally intended on including, because the situation across the battlefield has changed a lot, so I need to fasten the plot involving E.N.D, otherwise it'll end up with all guilds exterminating their enemies and them there's only Natsu + Zeref being the last villains (which would be awkward) ^^ Besides all of them are rather exhausted and I don't want to use too many "Hiro/nakama" tricks to save the plot xD

Have a nice day, y'all! :)

/H


	35. Chapter 35

**Disclaimer:** Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima

* * *

 _ **ACT V: Ragnarok – The Fateful Encounter**_

 _ **Approximately X793**_

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

 **Chapter 35: Last resort**

Lucy was screaming his name as she fell, hoping in her heart that it would somehow reach his old personality before she met certain death. Unfortunately for her the demon was rather unaffected by it, so it was up to herself to figure out how to survive.

 _Darn it!_ She cursed as the mountains came closer at a disturbingly fast pace, making her turn her head frantically to search for a solution.

"Come on!" Lucy shouted when huge rocks came up on each side of her, indicating she was falling down a dark cliff.

She was starting to panic when her eyes suddenly spotted a large tree, which made an idea spawn in her mind, before she grabbed the hilt of her whip.

"Ahh!" Lucy shouted before she raised the hand holding the whip behind her and in a quick movement snapped it in the trees direction, where it wrapped around the trunk. The blonde fell for what felt like a second before her whip caught her weight, making the girl scream in pain because the force behind the fall was transferred to her arm, resulting in her shoulder dislocating with a snap. Fortunately Lucy didn't lose her grip on the whip, even when her body crashed into the side of the cliff, however it couldn't prevent another painful scream from escaping her mouth.

Lucy hanged dangling, when she noticed the tree was starting to crack loudly, indicating that her move had done damage to it. Turning her head to look upwards, she confirmed that theory as the tree started to fall in what almost looked like slow motion.

"Shit!" she cursed and in quick movement placed her free hand on her whip's handle, twisting it backwards in order to remove it from the trunk of the tree. A second later she felt her weapon loosen and remove its grip around the trunk, making her air born yet again before her body collided with a huge boulder that luckily stuck out of the side of the cliff, thereby saving her from joining the tree from falling deeper down.

"Ugh!" Lucy exclaimed as she tumbled around before eventually laying still on the exposed rock. A second later she saw the tree falling, before hearing the sound of it as it crashed against the ground somewhere underneath her.

As she laid there the celestial mage tried her best to focus on breathing through her mouth, in order to suppress the overwhelming pain she was feeling. It helped for a second but suddenly she experienced a weird sort of dizziness, making her feel rather fatigued and tired.

It was weird because her eyelids was starting to feel really heavy and even though she really tried, she couldn't prevent herself from giving in to the drowsiness.

"Natsu..." Lucy whispered and a few heartbeats later the blonde lost her consciousness.

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

It was bright all around her, when Lucy woke up. Or well saying that she woke up wasn't the correct term to use, since her body was still out of commission in the real world.

"Ohh" the celestial mage muttered in surprise when her eyes finally adjusted to the glistening light.

"Welcome back" Mavis smiled warmly as she approached the blonde, leaving golden footprints behind her as she walked.

"Uhm... thank you" Lucy answered while turning her head to make sure that she was indeed back in the dimension of the crystal.

"Is there something you want to know?" the tiny mage chuckled when she saw the confused expression on Lucy's face.

"Yeah..." she blinked before settling her gaze on Mavis "... what am I doing back here?"

"It's time"

"Time for what?"

"That we use Lumen Historie" the blonde said in a serious tone "For the last and final time"

"I see" Lucy nodded, preparing herself mentally about what might possibly come next.

"We need to erase the darkness once and for all" Mavis sighed heavily "Which means we have to use all of the power remaining to ensure that it happens"

"What do you want me to do?"

"I'll get to that in a minute, but first I need you to be aware of the risks there is by doing this" the small blonde took a deep breath, her face looking utterly sad.

"It's okay, you told me that already" Lucy smiled hoping to cheer the first master up "That the magic from Lumen Historie contains of raw energy, so I should be careful while using it"

"That's not it" Mavis shook her head "As I said we need to destroy all the darkness, this also means the remains of the thing Zeref created 400 years ago"

"Wait..." a chill ran down Lucy's spine when she realised what Mavis was hinting "... you're not saying?"

"I am..."

"No..." Lucy gulped loudly "... I can't do that"

"I know..." Mavis said with a sympathetic smile playing on her lips.

"Then why are you asking me, when you know my answer?"

"Because we can't move forward, unless we erase and destroy the sins from the past"

"But Natsu isn't one of them" Lucy's voice cracked painfully as tears gathered in her eyes.

"I'm sorry... I know he's special to you, but we need to eliminate it" Mavis stated in a gently voice before she carefully grabbed the other blond's hands.

"No, we don't" she sobbed freely, feeling heartbroken by the prospect of potentially killing her best friend "He... he can control it... or... he can if he tries... so..."

"It's too big of a risk" Mavis sighed "I'm sorry"

"I won't..."

"You will" she gave Lucy's hand a squeeze before continuing "Because now you know the worst case scenario"

"What do you mean?"

"That I don't know what will happen. It's not like I've done this before, so you have to know that there's a chance that he'll die. However that isn't set in stones, it's also possible that he isn't affected by it and survives"

"Re-really?" Lucy sniffled loudly with tears streaming down her face.

"Yes" Mavis smiled warmly "All I know is that the light from Lumen Historie will erase the darkness, which means it will erase the curse he has and that means his demonic part will vanish as well. Maybe that's all that is removed, leaving Natsu unaffected by it"

"But... isn't it in his blood?" the celestial mage asked, clearly sceptic about it "Wouldn't it kill him to get that removed?"

"Perhaps" Mavis answered truthfully "Or maybe it doesn't affect him at all and he turns him into the human he originally was. After all he didn't always carry the demon in him, he was once a regular and normal child"

"Re-really?"

"Yes, in fact I'm sure that is what's going to happen" the tiny mage smiled as she placed a hand reassuringly on Lucy's cheek "But I need you to know, that there's still a small chance that it might kill him"

"I can't..." she shook her head in denial "Even if the chance of him dying is slim, I'm not willing to take that risk"

"You have to"

"No I don't!" Lucy shouted refusing to do anything that might harm the Dragon Slayer.

"Yes you do!" Mavis said in a serious and demanding tone "Even if he's fine now, think about what will happen if we leave him with his curse. He's part demon and that side of him will always want to seek out Zeref in order to destroy him and what do you think happens when he doesn't have that goal any more?"

"I... don't know" she answered truthfully.

"None of us do, but think about it" Mavis sighed heavily before continuing "At some point the thing that drives his curse will consume him, and even if he manages to fight it, it's unfortunately bound to happen eventually. It might not be in your lifetime, but it will happen eventually just like it did with the demons in Tartarus. Actually the death of his comrades be it from old age or something else might be the thing that eventually triggers it, making him wander the earth in his search to find Zeref"

"But..." Lucy tried interrupting, but Mavis continued her speech.

"AND when he's out searching for Zeref that is long gone what do you will happen? He'll seek other purposes to live and go on a killing spree to try and soothe his instincts, but it will never be enough to satisfy his urges and do you know what will happen then?"

"It..." Lucy sank and felt a droplet of cold sweat run down her forehead "It would drive him crazy wouldn't it?"

"Unfortunately, but yes" Mavis confirmed "Think about it the demons in Tartaros lived for 400 years, how long do you Natsu will go before someone finally manages to kill him? For all we know he can wander the earth for eternity before someone deals with him, or maybe he ends up slaughtering humanity"

"That's horrible..." Lucy felt her heart sink in her chest, because it was obvious she couldn't reject the idea any more. It physically hurt in her stomach though knowing that the method she would use might potentially kill one that was so precious to her, but then again she couldn't allow him to be consumed by the curse either. That was a fate much worse than death, where he would slowly turn into a psychopathic killer. So if she didn't do as Mavis asked she would choose a very selfish thing, that would lead to her unleashing a demon that would kill a lot of innocent people.

 _It hurt, it really hurt inside of her to the point she felt her heart was about to shatter._

"Don't worry" Mavis said before wrapping her arms around the other girl to give her an encouraging hug "It'll be fine I promise"

"Yeah?" Lucy replied in a weak voice as she hugged the girl back.

"Yes"

With that the celestial mage started to cry loudly against the smaller mage's shoulder. It was all just too much and unfair for her to handle.

She didn't know for how long they stood like that, but eventually Lucy got control of her emotions, making her squeeze Mavis before removing herself from the hug and to her surprise the first master was crying too.

"Are you okay?" Lucy asked earning a nod from the other mage.

"Yes... yes I'm fine. It's just... I know sacrificing something is hard"

"Zeref?"

"Yes..." Mavis exhaled before quickly wiping tears away from her eyes "... but I know I have to do this because he deserves a happy ending as well"

"You're amazing you know that" the blonde smiled warmly before gently patting Mavis on her head.

"Thank you, I appreciate that" the small mage smiled back "Now let's get this started shall we?"

"Mmm!" Lucy nodded in respond.

"When you use the power this time I want you to do what you did the last time and reach out for the light. So close your eyes and focus. Concentrate on the light and the one magic, and you will sense it again"

Not answering Lucy took a deep breath before closing her eyes. Just like the first time it was easy to spot the energy, that was still like a radiating warm presence, that was constantly there. As she stood there she welcomed the light to enter her body. It still felt so pleasant and warm, like there was a stream of hot liquid that was slowly filling her body.

"Now the next time you summon it, I want you to use the energy to summon me as well" Mavis said before placing a finger on Lucy's forehead "I leave this trace of my magic inside of you, so you can use it as a key to summon my mortal body. That way you'll release me from the crystal which will cause it to shatter into pieces leaving it unusable in the future"

After saying that the celestial mage felt a warm and different type of light enter her body, which she immediately recognised as being the essence of the first master's magic.

"Now it's time you go, you need to confirm to your friend that you aren't dead" Mavis said in a comforting tone "Good luck"

With that Lucy felt herself suddenly getting evicted from the dimension in the crystal, all light suddenly being replaced with darkness and pain from the wounds on her body.

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

"Lucy... can you hear me?" the celestial mage heard a desperate female voice shout from somewhere above her, as she slowly got her consciousness back.

"Lucy?"

"Mmm..." moaning she slowly opened her eyes and saw a blurry image that contained a huge amount of scarlet "Erza?"

"Indeed" the woman responded, as she guided the girl into a sitting position.

"Argh!" Lucy squealed in pain because the movement caused a sharp pain to spawn from her dislocated shoulder.

"You're hurt" the scarlet haired woman stated as she looked at Lucy's injury.

"Yeah..."

"Mmm..." Erza hummed to herself as she placed herself beside the girl "... I see"

"What is it?" Lucy asked dreading what her friend was up to.

"I was just thinking that you might never get a boyfriend" she answered in a serious tone while rubbing her chin as if she was deep in thought.

"This isn't the time to think about something like that!" the blonde said feeling a vein on her forehead pulsate with annoyance at Erza's sudden change of subject.

"It isn't?" the woman said in a neutral tone before smirking wickedly "Well I guess it doesn't matter, because according to my knowledge Natsu isn't that superficial, he might actually think a dislocated shoulder looks... what would he call it, awesome? I think"

"What the heck Erza?!" Lucy shouted in anger "I don't care what he thinks, besides he just tried to kill me!"

"They say you always hurt the one you love" Erza stated knowingly with a nod "So that must mean he loves you a lot since he tried to kill you"

"That's not how that works!" the girl growled her patience reaching it's limits "When it comes to love, there are certain rules and... arrrgh!" her rant was rudely interrupted as Erza seized the moment to quickly snap Lucy's shoulder into place, earning a scream from the blonde that echoed through the cliffs.

"Ahh.. hah" she heaved for air through her mouth, as the intense pain slowly started to subside "Couldn't... give me a little... warning... could you?"

"No" Erza shook her head "Knowing you, I concluded that it was for the best to catch you off guard"

"Kay..."

"I am sorry for provoking you" the woman smiled warmly "However it was the only solution I saw to make you forgot the current situation"

"It's okay, I know you meant well" Lucy smiled back.

"Very well" Erza's smile broadened as she got into a standing position "I guess we should head back to the fight, so we can figure out what to do with that demonic brat"

"I..." Lucy sank as she also got up on her feet.

"Let's go then" Erza stated as she quickly scooped Lucy into her arms and started flying away, making the girl squeal in surprise by the sudden act.

They flew in silence for a while, Lucy being occupied in her mind with what she had experienced with Mavis and the frightful prospect of what might happen later on. Because surely it was something she needed to do, but the thought of there being even a small margin for error scared her. Of course she knew it was silly dwelling on it, but thinking logical about it and somehow suppressing her feelings away was something completely different.

"Is something troubling you?" Erza asked after a while, clearly sensing something was off.

"It's just..." Lucy sighed heavily before continuing "I have a way to save Natsu, but I'm scared"

"You do?" she answered her voice sounding cheerful "Well that's very good news, but why does it frighten you?"

"Because there's a risk..." Lucy answered and momentarily bit down her lip before continuing "... I know it's a small one, but there's a chance it might kill him"

"I see, that is indeed troubling"

"Yeah..." she whispered back.

"Mmm... well if you don't want to use your method, we can always wait and hope another one shows up. However that might not be the case and if what you say is true, then I wouldn't dwell on it too much because sometimes you gotta take a leap of faith and believe in a positive outcome"

"So I should take the chance and hope nothing bad happens?"

"I think so, yes" Erza nodded assuringly "Because right now the fight doesn't look like it's going in our favour, when it comes to him revealing the solution"

"You know he told me that there was nothing we could do" Lucy said while rubbing her chin "That the curse had consumed him and that there was nothing we could do to stop it"

"He told you that?" Erza said sounding surprised.

"Yes... and Mavis told me that if I use Lumen Historie it will erase his curse"

"Mmm, then I guess it's settled then"

"What do you mean?"

"If the first master believes it will erase the demon in him, then I think that it is the best solution we could hope for even considering the consequences"

"You sure?"

"I am and rest assured that I'll do whatever I can to aid you"

"Thanks" Lucy smiled feeling uneasy but yet more confident than she had been earlier.

"So may I ask how you use this method?"

"I uhm... well" the blonde stuttered a blush spreading across her cheeks "It uhm... it's kinda the same way I used it the last time he turned into a demon"

"Ohh" Erza chuckled brightly making Lucy's blush intensify in color "Well since you've done that before, I fail to see why your face has suddenly turned red"

"Sh-shut up!" she shook her head and closed her eyes "It's not what you think, it's just... it... it isn't normal just to casually do that, you know?"

"Of course it isn't" the scarlet haired woman said cryptically, making Lucy wonder which part Erza was answering to.

"Anyway" Erza started being back into serious mode "Knowing that I'll make sure to create an opening for you and rest assured I'll do whatever it takes to ensure he doesn't harm you"

"Thank you, I really appreciate that" Lucy smiled at her friend earning one in return.

"You're welcome"

With that nobody said anything as they made their way towards the battlefield in silence. Both of them focusing on their resolve to finish the war and saving their friend for good.

* * *

 **A/N:** *yawn* I'm tired today, like in "holy mother of goat cheese, just give me two chairs that's more enough for me to crash on... actually the floor is fine too" XD

For does who wanna know, yes some of the content in this chapter leads all the way back to some of the stuff that happened in chapter 11-13 ^^

I wanna say something smart and funny, but my coffee-o-meter is too low for that... so I hope you had a nice weekend and take care of yourselves *offers imaginary cakes*

Guest Reviewer Amy: Thanks for another review :) Don't worry I'm not gonna change the pairing, since it was planned from the beginning that they would end up together. Heheh, I might make a short ZerefxLucy at some point just because it would be so cute to see them together ^^

/H


	36. Chapter 36

**Disclaimer:** Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima

* * *

 _ **ACT V: Ragnarok – The Fateful Encounter**_

 _ **Approximately X793**_

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

 **Chapter 36: Demon with an owie**

"Yeehaw!" Natsu cheered in amusement of being back on the battlefield, as he twirled around himself, before using the force behind his movement to sucker punch Gray in his underbelly, making the ice mage loose the air in his lungs as his body was sent flying away.

"Will you just stay down already!" Laxus roared as he approached him with lightning engulfed hands, but just when the mage was about to strike. the demon started cackling loudly before he smoothly made a backflip away from him.

"No, no, no that ain't gonna do it!" Natsu smirked teasingly at the lightning mage.

Zeref was above him and chanting something, but since his hearing was so superior to regular humans, he knew where his brother was without turning around, which made it quite easy for him to dodge the wall of black magic that came raining down.

"Gosh... darn.. it" Gray panted trying to gather his breathe "Stand still!"

"Ohh, you're the commanding type... well go on then give me more orders" the demon flirted while swaying with his hips, before swiftly turning himself to the side where he used one of his hands to slap his own butt "... well then I might give you a piece of this, if you manage to get me down"

"... I'm gonna have serious mental scars after this..." the ice mage whispered in a low inaudible voice.

"So when is that healer girl gonna join you, mm?" he asked hoping to lure her out. After all she might be a tasty little thing. Also there was something morally wrong by killing her because she was still so young. In fact even though he was a cruel demon, he still thought she was way too young to be on the battlefield. Heck if someone asked him, she should be home playing with her dolls or do some other girly stuff.

 _Which made it so much tastier... perhaps her blood tasted like Lucy's...?_ The demon thought and in that moment his anger started to rise again. _Tsch, that idiotic stupid blonde still seemed to infuriate him, even though he made sure to kill her._

"You know what, I'm done playing with you ass-butts!" his playful attitude vanished and was replaced with an unreasonable anger and madness, that shot through his body like a wildfire.

"And I'm getting tired of your mood swings!" Laxus snarled back before he sucked in his breath and yelled "Lightning Dragon's roar!"

"Rawr, rawr my ass" Natsu growled as he bend his legs and catapulted above the attack, where he used his wings to float momentarily.

"Gray!" Zeref yelled and before he got a chance to act he felt something sharp piercing through his stomach, before he spotted an arrow of ice covered with blood rocketing away from him.

It honestly didn't hurt as much as it should do, but perhaps that was due to the fact that ice was quickly spawning around his wounds in spikes, thereby cooling down the area.

"Gaaah!" Natsu spat in annoyance as blood suddenly spouted out of his mouth, leaving small streaks of it to trail down his chin. Simultaneously with that the ice splintered and fell off, making the blood stream freely from the wound.

The demon was occupied by the sudden turn of events, so he barely registered that black magic suddenly wrapped around his stomach, thereby preventing more blood from leaving his body. At the same time lightning struck his body, making him scream in agony as it seemed to burn down to a cellular level inside of his body. In fact it was an attack that was far stronger than any of the previous ones Laxus had used, which caused a spark of confusion to enter his mind.

 _If this continued then..._

Feeling light headed and weak for the first time since the fight had begun, Natsu sighed in relief when the lightning stopped, but his moment was short lived because immediately it was interrupted as black arrows pierced through his wings, arms and legs with such power it forced him to fall backwards and down on the ground. A second later the end of the arrows split in two, before bending across his muscles making them seem like horrific cuffs that pinned him firmly to the ground. Why horrific handcuffs? Because they were still digging into his wings, the upper part of arms and his thighs, which was bleeding all though not as much as it would do, once Zeref removed them.

"Natsu..." his brother hovered above him with a sad look on his face "... let's stop this madness already"

"Ohhh you want this to stop?" he answered in a dark voice filled with hatred.

"You know I do"

"We all want this to end" Gray said in a somewhat bored tone, his eyes shining with what looked like sympathy as he stared at the demon.

"Yeah..." Laxus agreed with a nod.

"Tell us how we undo this" Zeref sighed heavily "You've already taken so much damage and I don't want to continue this, because it might kill you"

"Ohh... OHH!" Natsu snickered and raised an eyebrow challengingly "Now wouldn't that be fun, huh? You made me to kill you and you don't like it because we switched roles, huh?"

"I will not allow that to happen" the dark mage growled, the counters on his face changing into looking like he was on the brink of going into madness.

"Fuck you!" the demon spat a mixture of saliva and blood in his brother's direction "I ain't telling you shit!"

"Really?" Zeref's eyes glowed and illuminated unrestricted anger.

"I ain't saying nothing to someone who's supposed to be my relative" Natsu said his voice filled with disgust "I'll never acknowledge you... you fucktard!"

Something snapped in Zeref in that moment and perhaps that was what the demon secretly wanted, in order for his brother to finish him off. No matter what, the former Dragon Slayer felt an excruciating pain from the wound in his stomach, as the dark magic around it seemed to dig into his exposed meat digging deep into his cells, destroying them by making them rot ever so slowly.

 _This was torture..._ he thought as his heartfelt screams was carried away into the distance. As it did he felt the arrows that was piercing him start to also rot his flesh, making his screams intensify in volume.

 _Damn it all!_ He cursed in his inner voice, as tears rolled down his cheeks. Not that he noticed that, the pain was too much for his mind to comprehend what was going on. If he did see his surroundings, the demon would also notice that the mages above him was having an argument, where his former guild mates was trying their best to make Zeref stop what he was doing.

"... op... it...!" a tiny voice was shouting somewhere but he couldn't recognise who it was. All he could hear was the person continued to repeat the same sentence, over and over again as it grew in volume.

"I SAID STOP IT!" the voice boomed in volume, as the pain suddenly started to subside.

"Wha..." feeling confused Natsu felt how his heart was beating loudly, making the blood rush at a fast pace through his brain. It actually made him feel dizzy and slightly nauseous.

"You..." the unknown person said in a shaky voice, before a huge head suddenly popped into his field of vision.

"Ohh..." Natsu blinked in surprise, his anger instantaneously vanishing" "... Happy! Whatcha doin' here old buddy?"

"I..." the cat gulped loudly "... are you okay?"

"Am I...? Tsch!" the former Dragon Slayer chuckled, because it had to be rather evident that he wasn't fine just by looking at the amount of blood and visible wounds he had. It was such an idiotic question the chuckle turned into a hysterical laugh, that sent ripples of pain through his body, but he didn't care. The whole situation was just so weird and stupid, it made his insanity intensify in volume.

"Ahhh..." he eventually exhaled, as his laughter died down "... heheh, Happy... I gotta say you're my knight in furry armor"

"Ohh...?" the cat tilted his head to the side looking confused.

"Yeah..." Natsu's lips curled backwards revealing his teeth and for just a split second he actually looked normal "... in fact I appreciate you so much, I should turn your fur into slippers. After all my feet tend to get cold in the evenings and your... mmm... pretty blue fur might do the trick, yeah?"

"Don't... don't say that..." Happy sniffled as tears gathered in the corner of his eyes.

"Don't listen to him, you know he doesn't mean that" Gray said in a warm and caring voice as he gently placed his hand on the feline's back.

"Ohh please" the demon rolled with his eyes "You know I mean it, seriously look at his soft fur! That reminds me, maybe I should use him as a pillow since my throne ain't that comfortable to sit on... wait do I even have a throne? Huh... now why can't I remember that?" He wondered suddenly deep in thought and ignoring the people around him.

"Snap out of it!" Happy's voice shouted all of a sudden, before the demon felt a tiny paw slapping his cheek.

"Huh?" feeling baffled Natsu turned his head to look at the cat, who was fuming with anger "I guess I kinda got lost in my own thoughts there, mmm... I wonder why it's called that, it wasn't like I was lost I knew clearly what I was thinking about..."

"Please!" the cat yelled, his voice cracking as if he was on the brink of crying "Just go back to who you used to be... please..."

"Ahh... should have known you would say that..." Natsu closed his eyes "Tell ya what since I'm a good boy, I'll tell you the same thing I told Lucy, before I killed her, kay?"

"... what..." Happy froze, clearly not sure if he believed what the demon was saying.

"Let's see now... yes..." the former Dragon Slayer started, ignoring the cat's reaction "Right now my body is consumed by the curse and there ain't no way to return from that. Even my demonic personality is gone, all that's left is... well the curse!"

"Wait..." Zeref interrupted "You're telling us all that's left in your vessel is the curse?"

"Ding, ding, ding! Congratulations bro, you win a makeover! I'll deliver it free and without charging ya anything later. It might hurt though, since I need to use my fists to reconstruct your face"

"But that's impossible..." his brother pondered loudly "Natsu... I created his demonic counterpart and installed it in him, in order for him to survive... no, to revive him from the dead... It should always be there because he's the one who can handle the curse. It should never be able to just vanish, because the curse is so lethal that it needs someone to handle it... you're seriously telling me the demon is gone?"

"Yup, ya know for a smart kid you're awfully stupid"

"What does this mean?" Laxus asked the question that was everyone's mind.

"I kinda suspected this was the case, but to hear it... it's a pity... it really is, because this means that it's over..." Zeref stated in a defeated tone "... if his body is truly consumed by the curse, then there's no other personalities within him. My brother... the demon... it's all gone and I have no idea how to get them back"

"What... no that can't be" Gray shook his head looking frustrated.

"Diddly-do diddly-don't" the demon sang sounding like he enjoyed the situation "You have to kill me but I suspect you won't"

His former comrades facial expressions revealed a mixture of emotions, but the most dominant one was despair and confusion. They actually looked like someone had just told them their favourite pet had died, making them exchange glances as they tried to deny the truth.

 _Ohh it was priceless and absolutely delightful,_ the demon thought to himself as he started laughing again. He was E.N.D and that meant even his former self and his demon was a victim of his chaotic curse. Not that he particularly cared, the curse was all he needed and all he wanted, so fuck everything else.

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

In the meantime all the other guilds was busy fighting against the remaining corpses, that was gradually but surely dwindling in numbers. After the news of how to deal with them had been distributed, they used different methods to ensure they were all turned into ashes before they spread it, to ensure that they couldn't resurrect or duplicate themselves.

It was easy to have the solution another one was carrying it out, because they had to work very closely together with the different guilds and coordinate accordingly. However this didn't cause as much trouble as it could have, because all of them was determined and willing to do everything they could with their allies, so slowly the fight was progressing into their favour.

When people saw that there was a realistic prospect of being victorious, it immediately sparked everyone's morale, making them all extra motivated to do their best.

And it worked! Even though there had been casualties, they managed to subside their feelings and fight as best as they could.

The war was slowly reaching the final stages for the remaining guilds, the only thing that seemed to be left was figuring out how to deal with one little demon...

* * *

 **A/N:** I know this is a short chapter, but things considered the next one should be rather long. Actually I've typed the majority of it, so it should be published rather soon.

That's dooooope! Ye-ye-ye-yeah! Especially because this arc/act is reaching it's end really soon.

It's snowing outside... I like snow, it's so pretty ^^

That was a random thing to suddenly type... huh... ohh! Important info: The former healing station has been "dissolved", because Poly knows the war is about to end so she demanded the Exceeds to scatter all over the battlefield to ensure there are no one who desperately needs medical treatment (then they can bring them back to Poly – and yes I'm too lazy to figure out how to spell her name, lol XD).

Anyhow, I hope y'all are doing great and you liked the chapter :)

/H

To guest reviewer Amy: Thank you, I'm sorry this took a while to update, but fortunately you don't have to wait that long before I post the next chapter :D


	37. Chapter 37

**Disclaimer:** Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima

* * *

 _ **ACT V: Ragnarok – The Fateful Encounter**_

 _ **Approximately X793**_

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

 **Chapter 37: Just a kiss**

"This is getting soooo boring!" Natsu said in a grumpy voice, because being pinned down on the ground by Zeref's arrows was starting to be really... really annoying. The fact that his former guild mates and his brother was arguing about what to do next didn't make the situation better. Nope, on the contrary it was so sleep-inducing that he might actually take a nap, just because he was running out of options to occupy his mind.

Ohh and don't worry he had fantasised about loads of stuff, that ranged from utter destruction and violence, to cute fluffy bunnies. Hey, just because he was consumed by the curse, that didn't mean he couldn't think about things that was adorable... and who doesn't like bunnies with their small fluffy feet.

The demon had tried singing as well, which annoyed Laxus so much he had warned him that he would put his fist inside his mouth if he didn't stop it.

Bahhh... stupid idiotic people! Why couldn't they just realise it was too late to do anything?

 _Nuisances... all of them were nuisances that should go home and... what? Mmm... commit suicide? Play with poop? Hahah! A Poop fight, now that would be fucking disgusting..._

Just when he finally had something to occupy his mind, he heard something that sounded like someone landing not that far away from him and before he got a sniff of the person's scent he heard Happy starting to cry very loudly. Like seriously, he was surprised his eardrums didn't pop.

"Wahhh!" the cat kept crying for some stupid reason, making the former Dragon Slayer growl in anger.

"Erza!" Gray shouted in a hopeful tone "You made it!"

"Tsch! Why do you sound so surprised? Did you think she flew into a tree or something...?"

"I knew you would make it back" Zeref smiled warmly, clearly ignoring his brother's rant "My dear Lucy"

"It's good to see you back kid" Laxus nodded sounding somewhat happy as well.

"Wooooow..." Natsu said clearly being sarcastic "... you guys are really bad liars. I can teach you a few tricks if you want me to..."

"Thank you, it's good to be back" a female voice answered, making the demon's eyes widen in surprise because she sounded completely like Lucy. Actually... he sniffed a few times... it even smelled like her.

 _They dared bring in an imposter?! What the bloody fuck! Ohh he would make that person swim with the fishes, even if it meant he had to place a can of fish beside the corpse._

Usually he would laugh at such a stupid joke, but the anger inside of him was burning away all of his rationality. Unbeknownst to himself black flames eradicated all around his body, however he could feel his muscles prickling as they were filled with adrenaline. As they did he felt himself become really restless, making an urge to take drastic actions form inside of him.

A ferocious snarl that turned into a roar escaped the former Dragon Slayer, as he struggled against his restraints. At first nothing seemed to happen, but as he started to feel more determined his curse also started to fuel his thirst for action, motivating him on a primal level to continue.

"Ahhh!" screaming and making his fight audible, he gathered all of his strength into his arms where the fire kept wildly fluctuating around his skin. This time he heard the black magic loosening their hold on the ground, but he didn't stop his efforts and soon he heard the sound of the magic being forced up from the ground.

Growling and secretly feeling victorious he got into a sitting position, where he quickly pulled the arrows out of his arms, causing a huge amount of blood to spout out from the wounds. Not that he cared or thought logical about his actions, he just didn't want it to be inside of him. So without thinking twice Natsu quickly proceeded to violently tear the arrows out of his thighs, making blood pour from the exposed and torn meat. He didn't remove the magic from his stomach though, because it wasn't really bothering him. Besides he wanted to see the imposter himself, before he smashed her to pieces.

Not noticing the others protesting while he was removing the restraints, he ignored the excruciating pain in his body as he quickly jumped up on his feet and spun around on his heels, in order to stare daggers at the person impersonating Lucy.

 _Damn, it even looked like her...! Shit, did that mean he had to kill her... again?!_

"What the hell is going on here?" Natsu cursed loudly, his eyes darting between Erza and the blonde girl.

"I brought her back for an important task" the armored woman said cryptically as she took a protective stance in front of the girl, raising her sword as if it might intimidate him somehow.

 _How silly..._

"But that can't be!" he pointed an accusing claw towards Lucy "She isn't protected by nakama bullshit like others we know... is she?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about" Erza said, sounding sincere.

"You..." a growl formed in his throat as he watched the blonde more intensely, his eyes glistening with anger "... answer me one thing"

"Uhm" Lucy flinched clearly uncomfortable from his piercing stare "Su-sure"

"Before I dropped you, what did I do to you?"

"Wh-what?!"

"Ya heard me!"

"Yeah... but... uhm..." she gulped loudly before continuing "... you gave me a... well I wouldn't call it that, but you said you gave me a good... goodbye kiss"

"Ah-hah!" he smiled wickedly "I made you say it! So you survived that fall somehow, huh? Well son of a bitch..."

"This is not the time for your shenanigans" Erza interrupted in a serious tone.

"Whatever man..." Natsu exhaled loudly, the anger subsiding a bit as he gave Lucy an elevator look, taking in her battered body that was still pretty messed up from her previous battles.

"You guys fall back" the scarlet haired woman demanded "Lucy are you ready?"

"Yes..." she answered and folded her hands in front of her chest. After that Lucy took a deep breath and closed her eyes, making it evident that she was concentrating about something

"Ready for what?" the demon wondered briefly, when he noticed that there was a radiating light starting to gather and pulsate around the blonde girl, making his eyes widen because he instantly recognised what it was.

"Aww heeell no!" the former Dragon Slayer shook his head, his arms forming an x "That's playing dirty and I ain't allowing it!"

"This isn't a game, where you decide the rules" Erza smirked looking way too satisfied for the demon's liking.

"... it should be" Natsu pouted and looked rather childish for a second.

"Is it time?" the scarlet haired woman asked.

"Yes... " Lucy answered and immediately the light around the girl started to grow in volume, covering everything in a warm orange colour.

"No!" the demon snarled and watched Erza sidestepping away, thereby revealing Lucy who was still standing with her hands folded, her eyes closed with the light fluctuating wildly around her contours.

"I'll..." Natsu narrowed his eyes as he felt how his body started to tremble and shiver uncontrollably, because the light was so potent it made him paralysed just looking at it. Actually the light was such a direct contradiction to his own darkness, that he felt fear spawning and crawling right underneath his skin. As he stood completely frozen he barely noticed that a secondary and smaller blonde materialised behind Lucy, but he couldn't see who it was. Not that it mattered he had more important things to think about.

 _Move... move god damn it... move..._ the demon thought and felt how his mind seemed to blank all of a sudden, making him gulp loudly as a few droplets of cold sweat trailed down his forehead.

Not being in control of his own body, he just watched in horror as Lucy started walking in his direction.

"I'm sorry, it has come to this" Lucy opened her eyes that was glistening in an orange colour.

"... no..." he managed to whisper in a low inaudible voice, still staring hypnotised at the approaching figure, who was standing right in front of him way to soon.

"Natsu..." she smiled brightly and placed a hand on his chin "... no, I should say END"

Not being able to respond he just stared at her.

"This is goodbye" Lucy said in a fragile voice before tears started running down her face.

 _Why...?_ The single word spawned inside his mind, because he didn't understand her reaction at all.

"I'm sorry... I'm so... so sorry"

 _Why?!_ He glared into her eyes, searching for the answer but couldn't find anything other than sadness.

 _Why?! She look so incredibly sad and fragile._

"This... this is it..." she took a deep shaking breath, probably to calm her nerves "... as a last favour let me show you the right way to do this"

He didn't get a chance to even spawn a single thought, before Lucy suddenly captured his lips with her own. The move surprised him at first, making his eyes widen in shock. Not that it should surprise him though, because this was what Lucy had done the last time too.

As they stood there he felt how the light seemed to enter his veins, like a warm and soothing liquid that made his cells prickle and vibrate. It was a pleasant feeling that seemed to become even stronger once it reached his intestines, making it feel like his insides was responding to the light by twisting and turning. Not in a bad way, quite on the contrary.

Closing his eyes, Natsu took a deep breath through his nostrils feeling how the madness and anger inside of him started to vanish, as it did he felt how he gradually earned more control of his body. It was weird though, because it was like the process was a lot slower than it had been the last time. In fact this time it was also like the light was taking away the pain he felt from his wounds, signifying it was either numbing his pain or healing him.

Ohh well whatever it did wasn't that important, because there was more pressing things going on that he wanted to focus on. And yes, he meant that literally since Lucy's lips was crushed against his, which he honestly thought was rather confusing. It was... well it was actually kinda weird and yet he kinda enjoyed it on some level. However there was something awkward about it too, because it was like he needed to do something more than just stand there like a statue...

Not knowing what to do or feel Natsu felt how he started to gain more control of his body, making him twitch his arm ever so lightly to test if he had mobility back. When he felt the muscles responding to his command, he tried moving them upwards before he snaked them around Lucy's waist.

 _It was just to try his body out, it was totally innocent! Seriously!_

Ohh well maybe not, because when he had finished doing that he pressed Lucy's body more firmly against himself, making sure not to remove his head because he didn't want to interrupt their connection.

 _After all he wasn't finished taking advantage of this... uhm... shhh, let's talk about that later brain, jeez!_

Tilting his head slightly to the side, he used his tongue to force his way into her mouth and to his satisfaction, she responded by following his actions.

 _Heck yeah this was more like it!_

His stomach started tingling in a satisfying way, the surroundings vanishing leaving just him and Lucy, to have their own little moment. As they stood interlocked with each other, it didn't take long before everything that had been the demon evaporated, replacing some of his genetically structure with light, making him glow as well.

From the outside it was a rather beautiful sight, because both of them was radiating in that soft and warm light.

"I'm sorry to interrupt you guys" Mavis gentle voice suddenly called, making both of them flinch in surprise before they quickly stopped what they were doing in order to look down on the tiny mage.

"Ahem..." the first master obviously faked a cough and looked at the two in turn. It took a second to realise what she was implying, but once he understood her message he somewhat reluctantly removed his arms from Lucy.

"Now this is it" Mavis smiled kindly at both of them before turning her head to exchange a look with Zeref, who looked super confused "Come here..."

"What...?" the black mage's jaw dropped visibly but he did rather slowly follow her command and made his way over to them.

"This is the end..." the small blonde's smile grew bigger as she grabbed Lucy's and Zeref's hands "... we need to form a circle so come on you guys"

"Uhm... right..." feeling as confused as Zeref looked Natsu grabbed Lucy's free hand, which meant he had to hold hands with his big brother.

 _Aww snap! How did it come to that?_ Not feeling great about the situation, he obliged and grabbed Zeref's hand with his cheeks blushing because of all the different emotions he was experiencing.

 _Like heck he had just tried something he had only seen in the *ahem* comics, he was hiding underneath his bed..._

"Now all of you close your eyes..." Mavis encouraged and all of them did except Zeref.

"What is this?" he wondered loudly "What's going on?"

"It's okay" the tiny blonde reassured and gave the dark mage's hand a squeeze.

"But how..." he shook his head in disbelief "I can feel your hand so clearly in mine..."

"Lucy summoned me here from the crystal using her celestial magic. This is my physical body that was kept safe from the world due to the strong energies that made Lumen Historie"

"But... the crystal?"

"It's gone" Mavis smiled reassuringly "When I was summoned the crystal shattered into pieces, because all of the unrestricted energy was absorbed by my body"

"You..." Zeref sank loudly before continuing "... you'll die..."

"Yes" she nodded "But so will you... this magic is formed by the light and it will erase your darkness. That means we will both cease to exist in this world and go the next"

"I see..." he smiled warmly and let out a chuckle "... I guess I should have known you would get your way in the end"

"Uh-huh" she giggled brightly "I did tell you a lot of times that we would stop you"

"You sure did"

"Are you ready?" Mavis asked sounding concerned.

"Yes... I've been here for far too long"

Exchanging a quick look with each other they both closed their eyes. So did Lucy and Natsu who had been staring at the two other mages, not daring to interrupt their moment.

The instant Natsu closed his eyes he could feel the lightness in his body starting to slowly drift away. It was rather strange actually because it was like all of his muscles was tingling on such a miniature scale, that every inch of him was moving. It wasn't unpleasant but it didn't feel good either. No, in all honesty it kinda felt wrong. He couldn't put a finger on what it was, but it was like his entire being was trapped in a dimension, where everything could snap in an instant turning his world into something that easily could be deprived from his most haunting nightmares.

Unbeknownst to him the curse was struggling against the light, trying to cling onto him because it refused to be destroyed. He wanted to struggle and fight against it, but what could he do against something like that?

 _You need to relax..._ a weak voice spoke in his mind and he instantly recognised it as being his demonic counterpart.

 _Hey you okay, dude?_ Natsu asked sincerely.

 _There's almost nothing left of me... the curse deleted my existence but it would appear that this Lumen Heart thing has momentarily raised me from the empty space where I was floating around..._

 _Ohh... I'm sorry to hear that..._

 _It' fine..._ the demon sighed before continuing _...just like Zeref I've been here for far too long... it's time to go._

… _kay..._

 _I gotta say though, for an idiot you're not the worst..._

 _Gosh, you're annoying!_

 _Right back at ya kid!_

 _Tsch! Just get your sorry ass out of my head..._

 _You know, once I'm gone I'm taking away all your memories from the past too right?_

 _Wait what?!_

 _You'll keep that memory I showed you with Zeref, but the rest will cease to exist_

… _. but..._

His counterpart chuckled, _Right now you might not recollect it, but you have a question that you want to ask._

 _I do?_

 _Yes... I've left the answer you're looking for in your mind, you'll find it one day_

 _Don't just go around leaving random stuff here!_

 _You ungrateful brat... ohh well it was fun I guess while it lasted... this is it for me... goodbye Natsu Dragneel._

 _Wait!_

But it was too late, he could literally feel the small essence that had been the demon vanish like it was water that suddenly turned into fog. As it did he took a deep breathe, his eyes opening like he had just been hit in the stomach by an invisible force.

Zeref, Mavis and Lucy was curiously looking at him, which made him feel rather uncomfortable. Turning his head he noticed that the first master and him was the only ones who was still glowing, which seemed a bit... odd...

"It's done..." the tiny blonde exhaled "I wish you guys the best of luck for what's to come"

"But we're still here?" Zeref muttered more to himself than anyone else.

"Yes..." Mavis blushed fiercely "... you... you need to kiss me"

"I... what?!" the dark mage's eyes grew so large they looked like they were about to pop out.

"It... uhm..." she stuttered, looking really perplexed.

"You know what?" the dark mage asked and seemed to gain his composure.

"Wha-what?"

"This is a perfect way to end our story" he smiled wholeheartedly while placing his hands on the girl's cheeks.

"I think so too" Mavis blinked with small glistening tears gathering in her eyes.

"Goodbye... and thank you for everything"

"Mmm" she gave a small nod before their lips finally meet each other, for the second time in their lifespan.

As they stood there the light that was engulfing Mavis started moving in Zeref's direction in small waves, that smoothly wrapped around him making him glow as well. While this was happening a darkness started to enter the light and soon the two types of magic intertwined with each other, making it look like two watery like substances that melted into each other.

It was a rather stunning sight especially when it started to consume the two mages, making their images blurry and hard to see. As the magic kept fluctuating it started to slowly break into into small tiny sparkles that flew up into the air, where they slowly started to evaporate. It happened rather fast and eventually there was nothing left but the empty space where the two mages had been not long ago.

"Woow..." Natsu muttered feeling a mixture of emotions. Sure he was rather stunned that it all happened so fast, but he also felt kinda satisfied that his brother finally got his wish fulfilled. However there was something utterly sad about it too, because when they got down to it, Zeref was his only blood relative and now he was gone.

Being occupied in his mind he barely noticed that Lucy was almost silently crying beside him. He heard it though, making him turn around smoothly in order to face her.

"Hey... are you okay?"

"Yeah..." she sniffled and quickly wiped away her tears "... yeah I'm fine... it looks like Lumen Historie healed us..."

"Mmm..." that made sense, he guessed since he couldn't feel his previous wounds any more.

 _Ohh well, that was convenient_ , Natsu shrugged and looked down at his hands and to his surprise he was still glowing.

 _Huh?_

Lucy wasn't glowing and now that he thought about it she looked like she was completely fine. Which was rather weird because the last time she had used Lumen Historie she had lost her consciousness and started to bleed from both her nose and ears.

"Luce, are you sure you're okay?" he asked while eyeing her up and down, trying to ensure she was indeed alright.

"Yeah... I'm good" Lucy answered but suddenly her body seemed to stiffen, almost as if she was shocked by something. Actually she looked really worried and almost scared all of a sudden.

"Ya sure?"

"Uh-huh, I'm good" the blonde bit down her lip, her entire body shaking like she was cold or crying again.

"That's good" he said clearly sceptic about her own judgement.

"Uh-huh" Lucy nodded before placing the palm of her hands above her eyes, clearly being in some inner turmoil about something she didn't want to share with him.

"Idiot..." Natsu muttered more to himself than to her, as he captured her body in a tight hug, hoping that the gesture could soothe her somehow. As he did she responded by placing her own arms around his waist thereby returning the hug.

None of them said anything but just stood there until the Dragon Slayer suddenly felt the remaining light in his body vanish and when it did he raised one of his hands to make sure that it was gone.

"It's gone" Natsu stated while glaring at his hand.

"Really?" Lucy gasped and removed herself from the embrace, before taking a few step backwards, where she eyed him carefully.

"Well yeah" he raised his eyebrow feeling suspicious "What's going on?"

"Nothing..." the celestial mage chuckled sounding relieved about something "... ohh gosh"

"You know you're acting really weird?"

Instead of answering the blonde tilted her head to the side, sending him a radiating smile.

 _Silly girl..._ he thought to himself and smiled back at her.

It all happened so suddenly, one minute he was glaring at the celestial mage the next he felt his body becoming completely stiff, making him stand frozen in his position.

 _Something was wrong... really, really wrong..._

He didn't know what it was but his instincts told him, it was highly dangerous and lethal making his eyes widen as a sense of terror was evoked inside of him.

"What's wrong?" Lucy asked but he didn't answer, instead he shook his head as his body started shivering uncontrollably while sweat suddenly poured down his forehead.

"No..." he whispered, his mouth feeling completely dry all of a sudden "… no"

"What?" the celestial mage tried appealing once more, but still didn't receive an answer.

All of his body felt weird, like each and every cell was suddenly vibrating in an unpleasant way. The feeling was so dominant that he barely registered that his breathing was becoming more irregular, because for some reason it was becoming more difficult to make enough oxygen enter his body.

His head... it was like he could hear the sound of his blood rushing through it at a fast pace, drowning out everything else. As it did a sudden flash of pain spawned in his head, making it feel like someone was using gravity to crunch it into a puddle of blood and mush. Speaking of that his ears was tickling, because it felt like something wet and sticky was dripping out of them. Which there was but he couldn't know that for sure.

"My head..." Natsu managed to whisper before he felt a piercing pain rippling through his intestines, making it feel like it was being torn apart by some invisible force from the inside, making him unconsciously place a hand above his mouth as his knees buckled underneath him. He barely registered falling down, but he did feel it when a huge amount of liquid forced itself up into his mouth, where it spouted out between his fingers leaving a crimson trail as it poured down his hand.

Breathing heavily through his mouth he leaned forwards and placed his hands on the ground, before he felt another huge amount of liquid leaving his body, making it splatter with a nasty sound on the ground.

 _It hurt... each and every inch of him hurt..._

Blood started trailing down his nose as well, before landing with low thuds on the mass that was already gathered beneath him, but he didn't register that. Actually there was a lot of things he didn't notice, like how people was calling his name and how Lucy was carefully stroking his back.

 _Please... stop..._

A painful scream escaped his lips as he felt the last tiny pieces of his rationality start to vanish into a pool of nothingness, because the excruciating pain from his organs being torn apart on the inside was too much for him to handle.

 _Lucy..._ he managed to think, before his mind seemed to snap like a mirror, into a million pieces, leaving nothing but a vast void. There was nothing... the sound of him breathing, the feeling of his heart beating. It was all gone...

Natsu was officially dead.

* * *

 **A/N:** Next time... I'mma gonna pull some serious and hardcore Mashima tricks, like you've never seen them before. You'll see... yesss... bwahahah!

So before leaving here, have this deleted scene/material:

Natsu was having a great time. Honest to god it was so amazing unleashing his curse and the madness inside of him on the world. The feeling of not caring about anything like his old personality always did was so liberating! Haha! Everyone should die if anyone asked him.

Mmm maybe he should do an interview when he got back? The demon thought to himself, wondering briefly how he should pose for the photograph as he dodged an incoming attack.

Weeeeeeeeh! /H


	38. Chapter 38

**Disclaimer:** Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima

* * *

 _ **ACT V: Ragnarok – The Fateful Encounter**_

 _ **Approximately X793**_

 _It was over... the war was finally over._

 _All enemies had been defeated leaving the guilds victorious even though it had come with a cost. Not everyone survived and those who didn't make it would be mourned for a long time. Despite of that the second people realised that they had succeeded a huge ripple effect went through the mages, making them all cheer and cry like they had just lived through their own worst nightmare. For some that was exactly what they had done, making them feel a mixture of emotions as people started hugging their comrades._

 _Unbeknownst of this victory a certain celestial mage was experiencing and witnessing something utterly traumatic right in front of her eyes. Her dearest friend, the person she caressed more than she had ever admitted out loud died right in front of her eyes. Lucy was warned that it might happen, but she never believed it... no, she was absolutely sure he would pull through somehow..._

 _Devastated and crushed we find our heroine on the battlefield, desperate for a solution..._

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

 **Chapter 38: Victory?**

"No..." Lucy gasped in horror as she caught the Dragon Slayer's lifeless body as it started falling forwards, before she gently manoeuvred him down on the ground "... no..."

She shook her head in denial, before desperately trying to hear the sound of him breathing, but there was nothing but silence.

"Please..." her trembling hands searched his neck to find a pulse, but she had no luck in finding it. However Lucy refused to accept that, so she kept searching as tears started to blur her vision.

"Come on..." her voice cracked as she started shaking the other mage's shoulders "... wake up"

"Lucy..." Gray said in a caring tone before he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"You can't..." she bit her bottom lip and stopped shaking the Dragon Slayer "you... can't... no!"

Determined and in denial she started performing first aid on Natsu's body, even when she knew deep down that it was a futile effort, because the damages was too intense all the way down to a cellular level, that simply reviving him wasn't an option.

"Come on!" Lucy roared as she slammed her hands against the fire mage's chest, before she started blowing air into his mouth, ignoring how the blood on his lips was directly transferred to her own.

The blonde didn't know how long she continued the process, before Gray forced her to stop by wrapping his arms around her, capturing her in a tight hug from behind.

"Let me go!" she struggled against his arms, refusing to give up.

"It's too late Lucy" Gray said in a calm voice, clearly trying to suppress his own feelings.

"No! It can't be!"

She kept struggling until all energy suddenly seemed to vanish, replacing it with grief and agony which made her cry loudly.

"Let me get through" Jellal's voice boomed all of a sudden and before they knew it the blue haired mage was crouching down beside the Dragon Slayer, where he started whispering something inaudible, before he made a few hand signals and placed his hands above the fire mage.

"What...?" Lucy whispered with a sniffle as she watched pink light emerging from Jellal's hands.

"Time magic..." the blue haired mage said stoically "I learned a bit from Ultear, but I'm not nearly as good as she was"

"What?!" Gray said and unconsciously pressed the blonde more firmly against his chest "How?!"

"Does it matter?" Jellal smirked to himself as he continued casting the spell, inwardly hoping it would work.

"Oh no!" Wendy's voice rang all of a sudden as she made her way over to them from her hiding place and in a swift movement placed herself across from the blue haired mage "Is he...?"

"Wendy!" the blue haired man gasped sounding mildly astonished "What a nice surprise"

"You.. you think so?" she stuttered nervously.

"Yes, I need your help in doing this"

"Really?"

"Yes, what I'm trying to do is restore his cells, but since the demonic part is gone we need to reconstruct him. For that to happen I will use time magic to restore his DNA so they go back to the way they were when he was just a human being. Once I've done that I want you to use your healing magic that will hopefully force all of his other DNA to start a chain reaction, that makes the rest of his cells remember their original form"

"Sounds difficult..." Wendy sounded disheartened for a second, before she nodded her head in determination "... but let's do this!"

"Let's" Jellal nodded as they started performing their spells in silence.

None of them knew how much time passed by, since their perception of things was clearly affected by the situation.

"Mmm..." Jellal bit his lip in thought before turning to look at Erza "Do you have any medical gear stored?"

"I believe so, yes" the scarlet haired woman nodded "Do you need anything in particular?"

"Yes I need something to help him breathe... a respirator would be most useful"

"On it" she said and a few seconds later summoned her nurse outfit and the item the other mage had requested.

"Lucy come down here" Jellal motioned with his head encouraging her to come over.

"What do you need from me?" she quickly got out of Gray's arms and made her way down to them.

"On my signal I need you to start giving him mouth to mouth" he stated before turning his head to glare at Laxus "You, come"

"What?" the blonde man said but came nonetheless.

"On my command I need you to use your electricity on him, hopefully that'll restart his heart"

"Very well" Laxus cracked his knuckles ready to perform.

"And finally Gray" Jellal continued "If this works then I need you to use your ice to force Natsu's body to cool down"

"Why?" the ice mage asked.

"His body should be in a lot of pain, from the things we've done to it. I mean we basically just reconstructed his DNA, so we need to force his body into a coma, by lowering his temperature considerably"

"Understood" Gray nodded, ready to react at any second.

"Good" Jellal took a deep breath "Wendy are you ready for this?"

"Yes..." she answered.

"I'll count down from three and then I need you to move, to make place for the others, okay?"

"Uh-huh..."

"Good" the blue haired mage smiled towards the healer "In 3... 2... 1... now!" when he stopped Wendy quickly bounced backwards.

"Laxus please use a tiny spark on his heart" Jellal said making the lightning mage crouch down next to Natsu's body, before he pressed his hand against the Dragon Slayer's chest, where a string of electricity shot into the lifeless body.

"Lucy..." Jellal nodded in her direction and she quickly started doing mouth to mouth, which she continued with until she was ordered to stop, so Laxus could use his electricity again. They did this procedure continuously until they saw the Dragon Slayer's hand twitch.

"It's working" Jellal said with a hint of joy in his voice.

Lucy didn't react to it because it was her turn yet again to give air to Natsu. Once she finished and Laxus sent another shock into the fire mage's body the Dragon Slayer suddenly gasped loudly, before his eyes shot wide open.

"Natsu!" Lucy yelled as she looked at said person, who was staring with huge blank eyes at the sky.

"Gray, quickly! And Erza be ready with the equipment" Jellal roared making the ice mage slam his hands against the ground, where ice started to form around the Dragon Slayer. Unfortunately it was not soon enough, because a second later the air was filled with a heartbreaking and intense scream from Natsu.

"Calm down!" Lucy urged as she quickly grasped the fire mage's head between her hands "Please!"

"Come on!" Gray roared as he made even more ice spawn and after a minute it started to have an effect on the Dragon Slayer who stopped screaming.

"How are you feeling?" Lucy asked before noticing how sickly pale Natsu was.

The fire mage didn't answer but laid perfectly still breathing through his mouth, making it fog whenever he exhaled because of the low temperature.

"You know what, you're doing great" the celestial mage kept talking hoping it could have a positive effect, but also because it made herself feel more calm "So just hang in there"

Lucy couldn't say for sure, but it actually looked like the Dragon Slayer smirked ever so slightly for a second, which encouraged her to continue.

"And when we get back I promise to make food for you... and..." she sucked in her breath, barely noticing that tears was streaming down her face again "I promise not to yell at you so much, if you sneak into my apartment and... I'll even go fishing with you, without complaining about it... and I..."

Lucy stopped because it was clear Natsu was on the brink of losing the remaining pieces of his consciousness and sure enough a few seconds later his eyelids closed, making an unpleasant shiver run down her spine.

Noticing that it was time for the next step, Jellal called for Erza who quickly placed the equipment on the Dragon Slayer while the blue haired mage started performing yet another spell.

"What are you doing?" Lucy asked wanting to know what was going on.

"I'm putting his brain on pause, so he doesn't get out of the coma once the heat gets back into his body" Jellal answered

"I see" she nodded but kept her eyes fixed on Natsu "But how will we move him like that?"

"I'll carry him" Elfman popped out from out of nowhere "You can carry the machinery I'll take his body"

"Ohh, good idea" Lucy agreed, feeling slightly nervous she would be carrying the thing that essentially kept him alive.

It didn't take long for Jellal to finish his spell and once he did, Elfman scooped Natsu up into his arms, while Lucy carefully took the important machine and held it firmly against her chest.

And with that they found themselves leaving the scene, victoriously after a really long and emotional battle. All of them exhausted after fighting for such a long time, but all of them longing to get home so they could get some much deserved rest. Besides there was a lot of wounds both mentally and physically that they needed to mend. It would take time, but as they say time heals all wounds.

* * *

 **A/N:** And with that this act/arc has finished! Let me hear you say: "Wooooh!"

Thanks for sticking with me for so long you guys, just a little more and then this story will be finished :) To show my appreciation I'm hereby sending you a ton of imaginary chocolates and snacks ^^

Important info: So you might ask, how they could revive Natsu but not the other characters that was Ko'ed. Well for one thing too much time has passed since they died, so it would be impossible to restore their bodies. Not only because of physics but because their souls have gone to the next world, so if they tried reviving them they would turn into mindless zombies that would stagger around aimlessly.

Also in this universe a respirator ain't that big (I mean it's small enough for Lucy to carry it). That might be silly, but I dunno... I'm too tired to explain stuff right now XD

Catch ya on the flip side kittens *heart sign*

To guest reviewer: I was sad to see them go too, but like you said they're finally at rest with each other in another place, so they got kind of a good ending as well :)

/H


	39. Chapter 39

**Disclaimer:** Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima

 _ **ACT VI: Reverberation Time – Gathering what's left**_

 _ **Approximately X793**_

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

 **Chapter 39: Hello there**

Lucy was sitting in the hospital's waiting room, with Happy sitting stiffly on her lap, the cat having an expression that looked sad, worried and somewhat tired since he hadn't gotten enough sleep ever since the war ended. The blonde girl was wearing the exact same expression as the cat, as they sat in silence. None of them said anything, so they just sat staring at nothing in particular.

While sitting there Lucy thought back to the most important events that had happened after the war, which was rather convenient for outsiders who wanted to know what happened afterwards...

Right after the roars of victory had died down, the remaining guild masters quickly met with each other to exchange a few words, before they gathered their members and went in different directions. All of them had been exhausted but also somewhat high on both adrenaline and the ecstatic feeling of being victorious. Which resulted in the majority was feeling somewhat beside themselves as they left the battlefield. For some the heavy reality of what was lost soon kicked in, leaving them with a sense of dread and melancholy, others chose to dodge that bullet and push those feelings aside for the moment.

But none of them could escape that feeling and the consequences of the war for long, not even the guild members of Fairy Tail. After they got back Laxus reluctantly took on the role as the next guild master, which he had been appointed to take before the war started in case Makarov died. With that in mind, it was no wonder the lightning mage had been outraged, when he had that small one on one conversation what felt like ages ago, because the previous master had given him such a grave piece of information before the war even started.

They didn't celebrate their new master when they got home, because Laxus didn't want his first actions to be something so insignificant. No, instead he quickly made arrangements for the funeral of the people they had lost, so they could be remembered in the future.

Cana, Gildarts, Makarov, Lisanna, Mest and Evergreen... they would all be remembered for paying the ultimate price in order for the world to gather peace.

A lot of people who had been involved with the fight was fortunate enough that they didn't receive grave injuries, so they could easily be handled by Wendy and Poly. Others weren't that lucky and was sent to the hospital, where the combined efforts of the staff there did everything they could to take care of them. One by one they all got better and left the facility, until there was only one remaining from their guild: Natsu Dragneel.

Because his injuries had been so severe, he was constantly being supervised by different machines and magical devices. In spite of that or well because of the Dragon Slayer wasn't concisions. Nope, he just laid there in a deep sleep like state, while his body tried to recover. Not that it mattered to Happy and Lucy if he was awake or not when they paid him a visit, all they wanted was to see their precious friend to show their support, even if he didn't know they were there.

So that was why the cat and blonde found themselves somewhat patiently waiting for their turn to pay Natsu a visit. To be clear the two of them weren't the only ones who wanted to see him, but after they had tried multiple times to stuff in a huge amount of members into the room, the staff demanded that they only came two at a time, because it caused to much of a commotion when too many people were there. At first the nurses had even tried to force Happy out, because he was a cat and animals wasn't a good thing to bring into a clinical area, but the celestial managed to convince them that he was an Exceed that wouldn't drop hairballs wherever he was.

Lucy sighed loudly as she stared up at the clock, the minute hand going ever so slowly before it was finally visiting hour. Well hour was a stretch since they always got half an hour before they got evicted.

Another sigh escaped the celestial mage as she started tapping with her feet in an uneven rhythm until it was finally time for them to go see their friend.

"You ready Happy?" she asked the cat who somewhat smiled at her as he nodded his big head.

"Good, let's go" her voice was filled with fake optimism as they strolled down the hallways, until they found themselves in front of the door to his room.

Standing there Lucy took a deep breath to calm her nerves, before she gently placed a somewhat shaking hand on the handle.

 _This is it... come on, you can do this! Who knows maybe he looks better than he did the last time?_ She encouraged herself inwardly, as an image of his state entered her mind, which caused an involuntary shiver to run down her spine.

"Lucy..." Happy said in a low voice as he nudged his head against her leg, showing with his gesture that he was there to support her.

"Yeah..." she smiled weakly at the cat, before opening the door. Almost everything in the room was white and had an aura that almost sparkled with cleanliness. Even the greyish machinery which was keeping their friend alive looked spotless as it stood working in complete silence.

None of them had any idea how the machine really functioned, other than it kept monitoring his pulse and heart rhythm, while providing him with stuff that would heal him but also give him substance. One of the things it did was regulate and support his lungs with air, through the mask that was placed on his face. Another thing it consisted of was different tubes, where one of them was attached to a syringe that was stuck into his right hand, which provided him with medicine. A thicker one was placed somewhere inside his stomach, which provided him with liquefied nourishment, that was enough for him to survive, but it was clearly not enough to keep his muscles from shrinking at a horrific pace. Other than that there was a tube inserted into his left land, that had a blue and glistening substance that entered his body really slowly. This was according to the doctors a magical substance, that would ensure that his own magical powers was supported so they could mend on their own over time.

There were also other tubes for... ahem... stuff that needed to be disposed off, but fortunately those functions weren't visible for guests.

"Hey there" Lucy started while rubbing her back sheepishly as she placed herself beside the bed.

"Eyy..." Happy said trying to sound eager but failing miserably, as he quickly jumped up on the bed table where he stood glaring down at his partner.

None of them said anything but just stood looking at the sickly pale Dragon Slayer, who looked so fragile especially because he had lost a lot of weight.

The sound of the door opening quietly did nothing about the silence, nor did the footsteps that approached them. They did however turn to look at an older man with thick slick black hair and a white coat. Seeing him the celestial mage didn't need to read his nameplate attached to his chest, she recognised him right away as the doctor called Astralis.

"How is he doing?" Lucy asked somewhat dreading the answer.

"He's getting there..." the doctor nodded as he scribbled something down on his papers.

"I know..." the girl took a deep breath and exhaled loudly "... but you can't tell when yet can you?" she said her voice filled with bitterness.

"Mmm?" Astralis raised an eyebrow as he stared at the two in turn "Well there hasn't been any major changes since he was admitted... what was that?" he asked no one in particular as he flipped through his papers "four months ago..."

"Figures..." Lucy said as she turned to exchange a look with Happy.

"That was until I made my rounds this morning" the black haired doctor smirked to himself as the two visitors seemed to stiffen for a moment.

"What... what does that mean?" the Exceed asked.

"This means that things have improved" he answered while nodding "This morning I noticed that the cells in his body has..."

Lucy and Happy stood glaring in confusion as the doctor went on a long rant, that none of them truly understood.

"I don't get it?" the blue cat wondered out loud, when the doctor finally finished his passionate speech.

"That his body has mended enough, that it's time we try taking him off the support system. It means that we'll wake him up from his slumber and hopefully he'll be ready to go home once the tranquilizer wears off"

"What?!" Lucy exclaimed loudly "Really?! You're not kidding are you?"

"I can assure you I don't joke, when it comes to the medical field" the doctor stated in a serious tone before continuing "I contacted your guild master an hour ago to get the permission, to try and get him out of the coma and he granted that wish. So if you don't mind, I'll do that right away"

"You... you'll wake him up?" Happy said, his eyes overflowing with tears of happiness.

"Yes that is what I'll do... now if you don't mind, I have to demand that you go take a seat in the waiting room, while I take care of things, okay? If things turn out well this shouldn't take long"

"Of course!" Lucy answered before bowing "Please take care of him"

"Aye!" Happy said while bowing his head too.

"There's no need to be so formal" Astralis blushed as he shook his hands in front of him "Just rest assured everything will be better soon"

"Well then, we'll leave this to you" Lucy said in an eager tone as she started strolling towards the door "Let's go Happy"

"Aye!" the cat smiled wholeheartedly as he followed the blonde out of the room, where they passed by a nurse called Virtus who went in to aid the doctor.

Feeling excited and positive for the first time in what felt like forever the two of them made their way to the waiting room, where they sat eagerly talking to each other. They sat like that exchanging stories trying to keep themselves busy, when they were approached by the same nurse they saw going into the room.

"Hey there" she started with a smile "As you might have guessed I assisted the doctor while... "

"So how is he?! I uhm... never mind" Lucy interrupted but quickly bit down her lips to wait for Virtus to finish her speech, causing the nurse to giggle warmly.

"It's okay, we managed to wake him up successfully and he's now breathing on his own, without having to be attached to the respirator" her smile broadened.

"Really?!" Happy said in excitement while clenching his tiny paws "Can we see him?!"

"If you want to I don't see why not?" the nurse raised a finger before continuing "But I must warn you, that it might not be a pleasant sight, after all he isn't himself at the moment. He's still affected by the tranquilizer, so he is far from in his right mind right now"

"I don't care about that, let's go! Please!" Lucy pleaded her eyes wide and glistening with unsheathed tears.

"Very well come with me then" Virtus walked ahead of them, with the two following close behind and before they knew it they were back in the patient room. What they saw in there was far from what they had imagined, since the doctor was sitting patiently beside the bed while the Dragon Slayer was clawing with his hands into thin air, like he was trying to scratch an invisible enemy, while muttering something inaudible.

"What..." Lucy sank feeling perplexed but also scared for some reason "What's going on?"

"... aye..." Happy said portraying the same emotions.

"He's hallucinating" Astralis answered them truthfully "It happens when people get out of a coma, but he'll fall back to sleep again soon"

"Uhm..." Lucy sank as she slowly walked over to Natsu "... it's good to see you... awake?"

He didn't answer her but kept clawing with his hands, while staring with huge frightened eyes into thin space, seeing something that wasn't there.

"It's okay, there's no need to fight any more" she tried saying in a confident tone while placing herself on the bed, which he didn't register at all.

"It's time to rest" Lucy smirked sadly while placing her shaky hands on his, thereby stopping his rather weak actions "There's nothing here to be afraid of"

Not hearing her words the Dragon Slayer's breathing became more shallow to the brink of him hyperventilating, as he started thrashing his body on the bed like he was trying to escape.

"Please!" she appealed before his body shot up into a sitting position, where she quickly used the opportunity to wrap her arms around his torso "Relax..."

His body was completely still all of a sudden, his breathing still being uneven and shaking.

The room was filled with silence, as the two of them sat there, Lucy's hands slightly shaking from withheld emotions and drenched with sweat, that was pouring down Natsu's skinny body.

"Ah... hah..." the Dragon Slayer huffed his eyes squinting and looking a bit more focused as he looked at Lucy.

"It's okay" she smiled widely, tears freely streaming down her cheeks "You're doing great"

"Lu...?" he managed to whisper before his eyes rolled back into his skull, his body slumping forwards leaning with all its weight against Lucy.

"Natsu?" she asked feeling rather perplexed, before the nurse came to her aid and gentle removed the now sleeping Dragon Slayer on the bed.

"It's okay, it's all part of the process" Virtus assured them as she took in the worried faces of both Happy and Lucy.

"He won't be waking up again for a while, but when he does the sedatives that kept him in a coma should be out of his system" Astralis said while making a few notes in his block.

"Which means he shouldn't be hallucinating but back to himself" the nurse continued "All though he might still be slightly beside himself because of the sedatives we'll be giving him for the pain"

"When is that?" the cat demanded to know.

"We can't say for sure..." the doctor started, but was quickly interrupted.

"Then we'll stay here until he does, no matter how long it takes!" Lucy said her voice filled with determination.

"You sure about that?" Astralis enquired all though it was pretty evident that it was useless to ask them a second time.

"Aye!" Happy shouted with a clenched paw raised into the air.

"Yes!" Lucy nodded eagerly.

"Suit yourselves" the doctor smiled warmly as he finished scribbling some more into his papers before continuing his speech "Nurse, since these people might be the correct medicine for our patient, especially considered his heightened senses, I sincerely think it might be the best approach if we used some unorthodox methods to wake him up... so I'm gonna leave this room and if someone took advantage of the extra space in here, then I have nothing to do with it..."

"I see" the nurse winked towards the doctor "I assure you that nothing will happen once you're gone"

"Make sure of that nurse" the doctor winked back, while both Happy and Lucy looked dumbfounded since they didn't catch what was going on, as Virtus left the room.

"Uhm..." the celestial mage raised her hand, as the nurse quickly started finding what looked like cloth from a cupboard.

"It's okay" Virtus handed the items to the perplexed girl, before heading to the door "I'm gonna go fetch a bed so you can stay in here until he wakes up, but you're not gonna say this to anyone, since this is kind of a forbidden way to handle our patients. You see usually they wake up in a secure environment, only with a nurse present but since it might be better for his recovery, we're gonna make an exception"

"I..." Lucy started but was interrupted when the nurse made a hushing sound.

"It's our little secret okay, so just stay here I'll be back in a few minutes"

As she left the two mages they quickly exchanged a look, both of them feeling gratitude towards the staff especially because it didn't take long before they were well adjusted with a soft bed that had fresh sheets on it.

They didn't leave the room other than going for the toilet when they needed that and kept themselves occupied with random games in low voices, until night suddenly fell. Once it did Lucy stripped down to her underwear and took on a huge t-shirt the nurse had provided her with. After that they went to say goodnight to their guild mate before they both got comfortable in their bed, where they soon snored peacefully waiting for their friend to wake up.

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

It was dark, like to brink of it being pitch black when Natsu slowly opened his heavy eyelids. Which was a good thing, since the light might have blinded him, considering he hadn't used his eyes for a while. Not that he knew this, but he could still feel how the small amount of light that came from the window made his eyeballs prickle in a weird way.

Feeling confused and super drowsy, like he was still more asleep than awake he laid staring into thin air, not thinking about anything. It was all just a blur which made sense since he was still heavily sedated, but again he wasn't really aware of what was going on. Actually not only his mind but also his body was being affected, making it feel like all of him had been beat back to level one.

As Natsu laid there doing nothing he heard the sound of a door opening. Still not thinking straight or even worrying about the situation he was in, the Dragon Slayer suddenly spotted what looked like a woman hovering above him all dressed in white.

"Shhh, it's okay just relax" she encouraging him to be silent before continuing "I know this might seem weird, but rest assured that everything is alright, you're safe here"

"Wh..." a squeaking sound escaped Natsu mouth, his throat hurting instantaneously from the effort.

"Don't speak, you might hurt your vocal cords" the woman said in a low and gentle voice "I'm a nurse that works at the hospital you're admitted to"

The Dragon Slayer knew he should feel confused and wonder why he was there, but he just felt so good damn drowsy and sleepy that he just laid there with a weird expression on his face.

"A doctor will come in and give you the details tomorrow, but for now you need to sleep, kay?"

 _Sleep... yes... that was an excellent idea..._ he narrowed his eyes and was on the brink of falling asleep again when a small scent reached his nose. Considering the amount of medicine in the room and his state it took a while for him to recognise it, but surely there it was.

"I know you can smell them and don't worry they'll be here when you wake up" the nurse said in a warm voice "Now go to sleep, you need more rest before you can greet your friends"

 _That made sense... he guessed..._ well Natsu didn't question it and the second his eyelids slipped down, he fell back into a deep slumber.

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

The next time the Dragon Slayer gained consciousness he heard the sound of someone whispering not that far away from him. At first he couldn't hear what was being said, it was all just so muffled and hard to interpretive. Heck, he couldn't even hear how many people was there or if it belonged to a specific gender.

"Mmm..." groaning Natsu carefully opened his eyes, which hurt momentarily but fortunately the light was rather dim since the curtains were keeping the sunlight out.

"Did you hear that?" a voice asked.

"What?"

"I'm sure I heard him make a sound"

"Really?!"

"Aye!

The sound of footsteps quickly approached his bed, where he laid squinting with his eyes, to stare at two silhouettes, one who seemed to belong to a girl while the other one seemed to be a cat that was sitting on her shoulder.

Before the Dragon Slayer got a chance to really see who it was or act on their scents, both of them rocketed in his direction. The female quickly but very gently embraced his torso where she started crying, while the cat choose his face to hug, with his blue furry body.

It was actually kinda hard to breathe, but he tried ignoring that fact and just laid still listening to the two of them as they silently crying against him.

Feeling confused and still awfully weak, Natsu just laid perfectly still as he took in the scent of Lucy and Happy, which made the situation a lot more comfortable, since he knew who the culprits were. And heck, if it was them he didn't mind getting hugged, even if he felt slightly weirded out and confused about their actions.

"Ahem! a fake cough, made the hugging people flinch in surprise before removing themselves from the embrace.

"Doctor Astralis" Lucy stuttered as she got into a standing position where she motioned for Happy to join her.

"It's alright, there's no reason to get so flustered" he chuckled and brought forth some papers "Now I'll just do a quick routine check and then I'll inform you of what's been going on. I could imagine you have a lot of questions. Ahhh Natsu I much demand that you refrain yourself from speaking, since your throat is quite fragile at the moment"

"Should... should we leave?" Lucy asked in a nervous sounding voice, which cause the doctor to shrug.

"Only if the patient doesn't want you to stay..." he answered earning a small nod from Natsu who didn't know what else to do in the situation.

"Very well, let's get this over with then" Astralis answered in a serious tune before he started checking the Dragon Slayer's vital signs, while scribbling something occasionally into his notes. While he did this Natsu couldn't prevent himself from drifting off to the brink of him being more asleep than awake. But heck, he just felt so freakishly exhausted.

After a while the doctor eventually finished his tasks, before he carefully slid a hand through his slick black hair while sighing loudly.

"Now this might take a while to explain Natsu, but nonetheless I'm gonna take you through what we've done to you here and try to explain why your body is acting the way it does"

And so Astralis went on to explain how the dragon Slayer got to the hospital and continued to talk stuff about his DNA, reconstruction, healing process, muscles being numbed, his stay that had lasted for four months... basically it was a lot of yada-yada, which he didn't really understand, especially because he was still feeling so super tired.

Well not that the details mattered to him. Naaw the important thing he got out of it was his body was weak for some weird reason and that he needed time before he could get back on his feet.

 _Which honestly sounded like it could easily become a huge pain in the ass, especially because he just wanted to get the hell outta there as soon as possible..._

"Wh..." his voice cracked painfully making him cough loudly to ease his prickling throat.

"So when will he be discharged?" Lucy asked for him, which made him smirk ever so slightly.

 _That's my girl!_ Natsu thought, his smile increasing in volume. Well that was until he noticed how fatigued the girl looked, which caused him to narrow his eyes suspiciously as he looked more thoroughly at her.

Lucy looked more pale than she used to and she had clearly lost some weight. How much he couldn't know for sure, but it was noticeable even for someone like him, who didn't particularly notice stuff like that.

Also it was like her eyes seemed dull and lifeless, which wasn't improved by the dark circles that was surrounding her eyes, that clearly proved she hadn't been sleeping properly for a long period of time.

 _Mmm..._ growling in his mind, Natsu turned his eyes to look at Happy who looked like he was in a similar state, which didn't improve his mood at all. Well to be fair he wasn't feeling angry towards them, he was more mad about the fact he couldn't prevent them from ending up like that. Or was he worried? He honestly couldn't tell because the drugs was messing with his mind, making him feel utterly sleepy again.

"But that's good new!" Lucy beamed as she responded to the conversation, she was having with the doctor which the Dragon Slayer had turned off.

"Aye!" Happy agreed with a nod.

"Don't you think so?" she asked him directly, making him wonder what on earth he had missed. So not knowing what else to do Natsu just stared back at her with a confused expression on his face.

"If things go according to plan, you might get discharged tomorrow" Astralis interrupted with a playful grin on his face "Now get some rest, I'll get back later to make some more tests"

With that said the doctor left the room. Once he was completely gone, Lucy and Happy couldn't prevent themselves from cheering loudly while hugging each other.

"This is great!" the Exceed quickly wiped a few tears away, before he quickly and very cat-like scooted underneath Natsu's left arm, earning a squeak of surprise from the Dragon Slayer, as the cat nuzzled himself into the small place between his arm and torso.

"Ahhh... I've missed this" the cat sighed in comfort "Lucy you should try this it's really comfortable!"

"Uhm... I..." she blushed fiercely while averting her eyes from looking at him for some reason "... would... would that be okay..."

"Come on! I dare you!"

 _Yeah dare her!_ Natsu thought and the moment his eyes locked with Lucy's, he smiled widely to assure her it was okay with him too.

"Ohh kay then" Lucy smiled weakly before she trotted over to the bed and very gently placed herself next to him.

"No, no, no!" Happy shook his head.

"No?" Lucy wondered out loud.

"Get underneath his arm and rest your head on his torso, like this!" the cat demonstrated "And be careful not to rip out the tube thing from his hand"

"Ohh..." she seemed perplexed for a second, but after a few seconds of silence Lucy very carefully raised Natsu's arm in order to scoot under it, before she placed it above her waist, where it was hanging loosely.

Once that was over with she very gently placed her head on his chest so she was head to head with Happy.

 _This is great! Good work there buddy, I gotta catch some nice fish for you when I get home... heck Lucy could get some fish too if she wanted it..._

Having their warm bodies pressed against his like that, while their scents filled his nostrils made him feel utterly comfortable and soon he started drifting off again and before any of them knew it all three of them was snoring peacefully on the bed. For Happy and Lucy it was the best sleep they had gotten in what felt like ages, while Natsu just passed out like he usually did. Or well he was a lot more comfortable than he cared to admit out loud, but for him it was great!

* * *

 **A/N:** Ahhh so much explaining in this chapter, don't you just love it, *lol* XD So Astralis is a Danish group that was in the CS world tournament, I watched while typing this. Virtus Pro is a group from Poland and one I rooted for.

So there you have the origins for the doctor and nurse's names – original, no? ;)

Uhm... other than that nothing much is happening or note worthy for me to tell you about. So...

Ohh yeah I might not be a doctor or anything, but I have seen someone getting out of a coma, who acted like Natsu did. It was fucking and uncomfortable... especially when the doctor told me: "she's just hallucinating stuff, she isn't acting on her own free will"

Scary... seriously that image will forever haunt me...

Anyhow, have a great weekend and have fun!

/H


	40. Chapter 40

**Disclaimer:** Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima

 _ **ACT VI: Reverberation Time – Gathering what's left**_

 _ **Approximately X793**_

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

 **Chapter 40: I'll cheer on that**

Laxus got to hospital shortly after he had gotten a call from the doctor, who had informed him that Natsu had gained consciousness and was now currently relaxing with two of his friends. Of course the guild master knew who they were, since he was the one who had assigned them to go there on that specific date, but he was not prepared to see them all snuggled up on the bed, like they were a litter of kittens that was having the best moment in their lives.

 _Heck, if Lucy and Natsu started purring he wouldn't even be that surprised._

Laxus smirked warmly to himself before he was approached by doctor Astralis, who gave him the latest update, including the fact that it was highly possible that he would be discharged the next day.

"How sure are you that it will be tomorrow?" Laxus asked to be sure.

"Quite so, since he's already recovered this much. Besides I know you have a very capable healer at your guild if something should go wrong, so there's nothing currently preventing him from going home"

"That's good news" the blonde man nodded, inwardly feeling grateful that this happened now, because the guild could use some positive happening to boost their moral.

"Now I know you're not his caretaker as such, but I need to inform you that there are certain things you need to consider before we discharge the kid"

"Such as?" Laxus raised an eyebrow suspiciously.

"Well since his body is rather weak, he'll need someone to take care of him until his muscles have fully recovered. This shouldn't take that long especially if he follows a recovery program and if your healer assists, it could be quicker than even I dare to imagine"

"I see" the lightning mage nodded "Rest assured I'll make sure the right preparations are made"

"That's good to hear" Astralis smiled before petting the mage reassuringly on his back.

"Yeah..." Laxus answered in a low voice with a somewhat teasingly smirk on his lips.

 _Ohhh he had plans... a master plan some might say_ , the thought making him chuckle as took a moment to look at the sleeping figures.

"You'll thank me later kid..." he whispered to himself with a knowing look on his face "... if not I'll make sure to electrify that idiotic head of yours later"

"Did you say something?" the doctor asked, making Laxus shake his head.

"Naaaw... anyway, make sure to take care of them, give me a call tomorrow and I'll make sure to come and fetch him, kay?"

"Sure thing" Astralis answered "Talk to you later"

Laxus turned on his feet and waved with his huge hand as his way of seeing "later dude" without using any words.

It was time for the guild master to make his plans real and there was a lot of stuff that needed to be organised before that happened.

But hey, sometimes doing chores and being busy was part of the fun, since it gave him an excuse to order people around... which he kinda enjoyed... a lot...

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

 _Finally!_ Lucy thought to herself as the nurse finished helping Natsu into his regular clothes including his scarf that the celestial mage had brought along, after he had just finished taking a long bath. Sure the nurse had helped him with that too, which caused Lucy to blush fiercely because she couldn't prevent herself from having some indecent thoughts, which included imagining herself taking the role as the nurse.

Knowing what she was thinking Happy couldn't stop teasing her, which resulted in her chasing the cat outside, which kept her distracted long enough for the bath to eventually finish.

Natsu wasn't exactly in a good mood when they got back, because before the bath he had tried to convince them with evil stares and squeaks that he didn't need any help. The nurse ignored this though which eventually resulted in him trying to run away, which failed miserably because the minute he tried standing on his own, he started falling forwards but fortunately Happy was quick to catch his body before something bad happened.

So yeah, Natsu was rather sulky that he wasn't fit enough to do whatever he wanted to do or even voice his own opinion. Sure he would grunt and squeal, but that was it! He had tried yelling though when they rolled in a wheelchair they wanted him to use, but that ended up in him coughing loudly because his vocal chord wasn't prepared for him to be so loud.

After the fit of coughing was over with, the really grumpy Dragon Slayer sat staring daggers at the wheelchair, until they heard someone entering the room.

"Well, well, well..." Laxus smirked wickedly as he entered the room, before resting his back against a wall "That's a mighty fine wheelchair, huh? You know I could make it more interesting by turning it into an electric version"

As the lightning mage chuckled at his own joke, Lucy could have sworn she heard Natsu whispering something that sounded like "... sadistic idiot..." but she couldn't be sure.

"Now..." Laxus exhaled loudly "... if you guys are ready we should get going, there are a lot of work that needs to get done once we get back"

"Really?" the blonde girl wondered out loud "What kind of work?"

"You'll see..." Laxus said in a knowing voice, before he snatched Natsu and threw him into the wheelchair "... now let's go"

"Aye!" Happy agreed as he placed himself on Natsu's lap, because why fly when he had the perfect ride right there. So with that somewhat settled Lucy found herself suddenly pushing the moaning Dragon Slayer and Happy out of the hospital, after saying farewell to the staff of course.

It was sunny and really warm outside, which caused the celestial mage to smile brightly because it was the perfect weather to bring their friend back home.

"So what's gonna happen next?" the celestial mage asked Laxus who turned to send her a playful grin.

"Hard work, that'll make you sweat..." the lightning mage winked at her, which caused a huge imaginary question mark to spark from her head, because surely he didn't just do something so uncharacteristic as wink?

Feeling utterly confused and deep in thought, she was suddenly startled when they turned around the corner where a massive amount of people was gathered.

"Eh?" she blinked but quickly recognised her guildmates, that stood cheering and yelling when they spotted them.

"... mmm?" Natsu responded lazily, a small amount of drool dangling out of his mouth.

"I thought you had better manners than that" Erza stated stoically as she trotted in front of them, her eyes glistening in a red colour, that implied she had been insulted by his lack of enthusiasm.

"...!" a weird sort of squeal escaped his mouth in surprise but also pain when his head suddenly slammed against Erza's armoured chest.

"This is more like it, now come it's time to meet everyone" Erza decided and soon the poor Dragon Slayer was sent flying from one person to the next, where he received mixed greetings. Some hugged him, others chose to give him a highfive while one person... Gajeel... decided his sort of greeting should be a firm head butt, that resulted in Natsu wanting to fight, but failing by falling flat down on his face, where laid cursing for a few seconds.

After the loud greeting where people kept yelling and cheering occasionally, the group of people started their way towards the guild. For Natsu this meant he was being carried or getting dragged by Erza and Mirajane.

As Lucy watched this, she felt her stomach fluttering with happiness, because it was great to see the joy it evoked in her friends. It was a nice change to the gloomy faces people sometimes wore, as they thought back to the war. Sure most of them carried on and had a good daily routine, with work and occasional parties, but the pain and sorrow would always be there right underneath the surface, she could see it in their eyes. So for Lucy it was great seeing all of that vanish, making them all act like they had found something new to believe in. It was a hope for the future and that everything would get better.

Despite of that she couldn't prevent herself from feeling slightly sad. It was an emotion deprived from a selfish wish that she deep down wanted to have him for herself, even if it was just for a tiny bit. To look him in the eyes and confirm that he was there. A wish to tell him everything...

Lucy could feel her cheeks blush as a lot of images invaded her mind.

"You know standing by yourself and blushing is kinda weird" Gray chuckled knowingly, making her blush intensify in colour.

"I uhm..."

"The fact you're holding an empty wheelchair doesn't make it better"

"Oy!" Lucy fumed with anger.

"You know you should stop worrying so much" Gray smiled before placing a hand on her shoulder "You'll get him all to yourself soon enough"

"Th-that's not what I'm thinking about!" the celestial mage tried to deny, but deep down she knew it was impossible to fool him.

"Of course you weren't" he chuckled warmly before motioned with his head towards the wheelchair "Get in"

"What?"

"Go on, it'll be fun I promise"

"Uhm... okay?" not entirely sure why she followed his orders, Lucy placed herself in the chair.

"Let's go!" Gray cheered loudly before he started racing at an incredibly fast pace with Lucy screaming loudly in both fright but also joy. It didn't take more than a few seconds before they passed their guild mates, leaving them in a huge dust cloud as they kept their fast pace.

"The last one who reaches the guild, is gonna be the one who helps him to the bathroom!" Gray yelled towards the group, earning a few loud outbreaks and people who started racing as well.

Not that they could catch up with the duo, but for Lucy it was still delightful to see the determined and some horror struck faces as they ran as fast as they could.

 _She really loved her guild,_ Lucy thought to herself before a childish laughter escaped her mouth.

And today they would be reunited and celebrate that Natsu was alive. It was the last and final piece that they had left from the war where the odds in the beginning weren't in their favour, but in the end they came out victoriously with their friend back on his feet.

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

Laxus was right, she would have to work really hard to the point of her sweating bullets. Not that it was bad at all, no cuite on the contrary because the moment they got back they started one of the hugest parties ever! Seriously, Lucy didn't know when they last had such a huge party, where they had small games and tournaments. There were competitions in different games, dancing, eating and even a stripping one where they had to see who was willing to take off the most. Gray could have easily won that, but because of his habit of occasionally being naked he wasn't allowed to participate.

Since a lot of competitions called for physical activity, Natsu couldn't participate but he looked to be somewhat content in not being part of it, as he sat on a bench sipping on alcohol through a straw.

After some time of having fun, the majority of people started to get drunk or passing out in various places. The unfortunate ones that was sprawled out got punished by getting a few drawings on their faces, some more mature than others, that caused Lucy to shake her head because she dearly hoped no one would draw... well that perverted thing on her face.

"... childishss... peoples..." Lucy blurted out in a drunken voice, her eyes scanning the guild before spotting a certain pink haired boy.

Feeling giggly she skipped her way over to him before placing herself across from him.

"Eyy!" Lucy greeted loudly, making her opponent's eyes widen and looking mildly shocked.

"... ey..." he answered in a very low and raspy voice, a huge smile on his face.

"Ahhh..." the blonde stretched her arms above her head when she suddenly realised something "You juzzd spoke!"

"Is kay..." he managed to nod weakly to himself before taking a sip of his drink.

"But you shou-dent..." Lucy pointed her finger dramatically in a huge uneven circle "... nope!"

"... make... me..." Natsu raised an eyebrow challengingly.

"Ohhh, OH!" she smacked her hands hard against the table and got onto her feet "I'll... make you"

Leaping from her position she jumped over the table, her arms stretched out as her hands caught the Dragon Slayer's shoulders, the force being so strong that it made both of them tumble down on the ground with a huge crash.

"Nnngh..." Natsu groaned in pain, as he laid in a starfish position underneath Lucy, who was straddling his torso.

"Hahah!" Lucy laughed wickedly "I made you!"

"Tsch!" he snorted defiantly "... as if..."

The blonde girl's eyebrows twitched momentarily in annoyance, before she placed her hand above his mouth.

"Teheheh..." Lucy giggled "... now thatz should teach... EWW! Don't lick me!"

She quickly removed her hand, which made her stare down at her victim who was smiling wholeheartedly at her, his eyes glistening with amusement.

"Don't look... like that" she pouted.

"Bite me..." he wiggled his tongue teasingly, which irritated her at first, well until an idea suddenly struck her mind.

"If you say zo" she smiled teasingly, before placing her hands on each side of the pink haired boy and leaned down to bite him in his shoulder. Not hard, but it was enough to make him wince.

"Stupid Luce..." the Dragon Slayer whispered, clearly not impressed as he rolled with his eyes "I... can still..."

"Oy!" a male voice suddenly boomed before a tall blonde man was towering right beside them "I don't want naughty stuff in MY GUILD!"

"La-Laxus" Lucy stuttered her face turning so red she could blend in with a pile of tomatoes.

"... the fuck...?" Natsu wondered from the floor earning a stern look from the guild master.

"Exactly!" he pointed at the two in turn, with a playful grin on his face "And if you don't behave I'll never allow any of you to take the S-Class exam"

"WHAT?!" the fire mage roared which unfortunately send him into a coughing fit.

"You should know better than to shout with that throat of yours!" Laxus eyes twitched "Idiot!"

"Ey, you're the one... who provoked him!" Lucy defended in a more sober tone, as she stared angrily at the other blonde.

"Ohhh the kitten has claws" Laxus laughed teasingly "Meooow!"

Being drunk and annoyed, the celestial mage felt her blood boil with anger before she quickly found her keys and summoned her Taurus Star Dress. Once that was done she quickly launched herself into the air, where she moved her arm backwards to get more acceleration and power into the uppercut she delivered to Laxus a second later. The force behind it was so strong that it send the lightning mage flying into a wall.

"You failed in my class, now go back and study harder! Idiot!" Lucy threatened as she pointed at the shocked lightning mage, before she raised her chin high and turned to look the equally shocked fire mage, who laid with his mouth wide open.

"Let's go!" Lucy said, determined it was time to go.

"Ohh... ?" the Dragon Slayer mouthed weakly, sounding slightly frightened as Lucy placed one of his arms across her shoulders, while placing one of her own arms around his waist, thereby supporting him as they went outside and walked in her apartments direction. After a few minutes of walking somewhat in an even line, Natsu finally interrupted the silence.

"Uhm..."

"What is it?"

"Ehh..." he motioned downwards with his head, making her blink in confusion before looking down where she saw that his feet was dragging against the ground as they walked "... oh... I'm sorry!"

"Heh..." he shook his head, clearly not minding it that much.

"Ohh my gosh, I'm so... so sorry" Lucy started shaking because she felt so mad at herself for not noticing it earlier.

"Luce..?" his low voice was filled with concern, but she didn't hear him.

 _What now?_ She thought to herself.

 _Well you literally dragged him into this, you need to finish what you started!_

"Yosh!" Lucy nodded to herself, her sadness vanishing immediately because of her determination.

"Mmm? Eh!" the Dragon Slayer squeaked in surprise, as Lucy somewhat manhandled him onto her back.

"Okay Lucy you can do this!" she said to herself before making her way down the streets, not listening to the small protests coming from her back. Admittedly it was kinda hard, because even though she was in her Taurus Star Dress she could still feel the strain in her muscles, but she ignored that which was partly due to her determination another one was her drunk state, that numbed her sense of pain.

So with that the girl, found herself making her way home with a baffled Dragon Slayer on her back.

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

After a while they finally managed to get to her apartment, where she rather roughly threw Natsu on her floor where he landed flat on his back, with an "ompf" coming out of his mouth.

Once that was over with she crashed right next to him on the floor, so they were both staring at the ceiling from the ground.

"Ohhh gosh..." Lucy each exhaled loudly "... I never thought we would make it..."

"... uh-huh..."

"... I'm so tired..."

"... mmm..." Natsu mumbled barely registering anything because he was already starting to drift off.

"Good... night..." Lucy muttered as she nuzzled herself into a better position on the ground.

"Night..." he muttered back, but before any of them fell completely asleep there was a slight pop like sound, followed by the sound of something very small running around the apartment. After a while Plue entered their field of vision, carrying some blankets and pillows he then very carefully placed over and under the half asleep duo, who managed to thank him in low voices.

"Pu-pun" the celestial being muttered to himself as the two humans fell asleep. Seeing that both of them was comfortable, the spirit vanished into the spirit world, leaving the two of them to sleep on the floor.

* * *

 **A/N:** Slow and steady wins the race, right? ;) /H


	41. Chapter 41

**Disclaimer:** Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima

 _ **ACT VI: Reverberation Time – Gathering what's left**_

 _ **Approximately X793**_

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

 **Chapter 41: Miss awkward**

 _It was hot... too hot actually..._ Lucy thought to herself, as she slowly woke up the next morning. Laying sprawled out on something huge and warm, she felt how her entire body was drenched in sweat.

Not paying that much attention to anything, her eyes carefully slid open, to stare at her wall that was shimmering and twisting in a weird way.

"Nnngh..." she groaned weakly, her mouth feeling incredibly dry and disgusting as she smacked with her tongue.

Not only did the blonde feel hot, but her entire body felt exhausted and awful! Especially her back seemed to hurt like hell for some bizarre reason... As she laid there staring at nothing in particular, Lucy could feel the muscles in her stomach clench together, in a weird rhythm which could only mean one thing...

 _Ohh god..._

Feeling iron tasting saliva suddenly spawning at a rapid pace in her mouth, she quickly sprinted towards the bathroom and a few seconds later, the bowl was filled with a weird sort of liquid, that tasted truly dreadful.

"Moohh..." the blonde complained as tears gathered in her eyes "... I'm never, ever partying that hard again"

Staggering on her feet, she flushed the toilet and got over to the sink, were she lazily washed her hands, before splashing cold water on her face. The chill made her feel more level headed, before she cleansed her mouth and gulped down some water, to fill her empty stomach.

Still feeling bad Lucy left the bathroom and got back into the living room, where she found a huge bundle of pillows and blankets on the floor.

"Ohh yeah..." she facepalmed, because she had honestly forgotten crashing there, after dragging Natsu all the way back to her apartment.

 _Lucy you're such an idiot,_ she moaned loudly, because that explained her excruciating back pain.

The sound of someone giggling made her head snap quickly, to stare at Natsu who was still sprawled out on the floor.

"What's so funny?" Lucy narrowed her eyes in annoyance, because she was not in the mood to be teased.

Crocking his eyebrow teasingly he said nothing but gave her the escalator look, making her feel really uncomfortable.

"What?!" she snapped at him, feeling a sudden headache starting to spawn.

"You puked..." he said in a low voice while wiggling with his nose "... it smells"

"I..." her body completely froze in utter disgust "Stop smelling my puke, that's nasty!"

"Is funny..." the Dragon Slayer laughed in a more audible voice, making the girl literally fume with anger.

"Ohh you think that's funny, huh?" her eyes sparkled with wickedness as she cracked her knuckles "You know what, I think you're smelly too"

"Ehh?" Natsu questioned before he suddenly found himself being all tied up by Lucy's whip, before she started dragging him to the bathroom. Once there she quickly swooped the Dragon Slayer's body underneath the shower, making him sit with huge and confused eyes, his back against the wall before she turned on the water.

Once it hit him, there was a high-pitched squeak that escaped his libs before the blonde adjusted the warmth so it wasn't that cold.

"Now I don't smell either... baka" Lucy smirked playfully as she crouched down and joined him underneath the multiple streams of water.

Not answering Natsu sat completely still his mouth pouting and his eyes closed, making it clear he was utterly insulted by her behaviour.

"Don't be like that, you started by teasing me" she chuckled feeling rather bold and silly because of her hangover.

"Hm!" he snorted in defiance, ignoring the girl as they got soaking wet.

Feeling more refreshed, Lucy let out a sigh as she got on her feet, her back aching the whole time as she turned the water off.

"Come on open your eyes and dry yourself" she encouraged him, but didn't get an answer.

"At least you don't need to change clothes..." Lucy said in a cheerful voice, but it did nothing to improve the grumpy Dragon Slayer's mood.

"Ohh well, suit yourself..." she exhaled loudly before dragging his wet body back into the living room. Leaving him to be moody, Lucy then fetched a clean set of clothes she then quickly went to the bathroom to put it on.

After that was dealt with, Lucy felt a lot better all though still slightly nauseas as she trotted back to find Natsu who was still fuming with anger and completely drenched.

"Isn't it cold being like that" she asked but got no answer, making her walk over to him "I mean you could catch a cold, if you're not careful"

"Mmm..." his lips formed a perfect line as he stared back at her, before he hoisted ever so careful with his head, encouraging her to get closer.

"What is it?" Lucy asked in concern "Does it hurt too much to speak?"

Sitting down next to him she didn't see his playful smirk, nor the stars that suddenly spawned in his eyes before it was too late. She felt it though because the next second she something hard hit her back, making her fall forwards with a squeal before colliding with the wet boy.

"Huh?" feeling utterly confused the blonde felt that something seemed to bounce on her back, making her dry clothes completely wet.

"Payback..." Natsu whispered in her ear, his mouth being so close she could feel his breath on her skin, which sent an involuntary chill down her spine.

"Luuu-cyyy" a voice purred from behind her "You shouldn't take advantage of him, just because he can't move..."

"Ha-Happy!" she stuttered, her face turning completely red, as she awkwardly removed herself from Natsu, who was howling with laughter, until it sent him into a fit of coughs.

"Aye!" the cat cheered with a toothy grin.

"It isn't..." Lucy shook her head denying whatever the cat was thinking.

"Ohh?" Happy sang knowingly, making the blonde gulp loudly "Is that why you're not wearing a bra?"

"How did you...?" she stared down on her wet shirt and quickly hugged her torso, her cheeks burning from embarrassment "... I... I... don't have any clean ones... we... because of the hospital visit I... didn't manage to wash my clothes and... the only one I had that was clean got wet..."

"Mm, hm..." the cat winked towards her, making her flinch before she as fast as lightning sprinted out to get a new shirt, that wouldn't get invisible even if it got wet.

When she got back into the room, Natsu had conveniently used his magic to get dry, making the blonde roll with her eyes.

"Lucy..?" Happy asked and sounded somewhat nervous all of a sudden.

"What?" she narrowed her eyes, feeling suspicious about his sudden mood change.

"We have a problem..."

"Really now?"

"Aye..." the look of panic in the cat's eyes made her sober up the same instant.

"What's wrong?" she asked in a serious tone.

"Natsu needs to go to the bathroom..." Happy said while looking at the two humans in turn.

"He... wait what?!"

"Uh-huh" the cat nodded.

"... this isn't a prank is it..." she narrowed her eyes, but after looking at the pleading look in the Dragon Slayer's eyes, she knew they weren't lying.

"Uhm... okay uhm..." Lucy panicked uncertain what to do at first but after a short moment of hesitation they managed to hoist Natsu up so he was being carried by both Happy and the celestial mage to the bathroom, making the blonde mage moan in pain, because it did nothing good to her already strained back.

After some manoeuvring, they eventually reached their destination and once they stood at the holy toilet bowl they stopped.

"Uhm... what now?" Lucy asked in a bewildered tone, as she quickly eyed the Dragon Slayer up and down "I mean I don't want to..."

"Mmm..." the cat mulled out loud "You pull his pants down and then I'll put him down"

"WHAT?!" she exclaimed, the horror evident in her voice "I can't! I mean I can't..."

Nobody answered that at first but eventually Natsu rolled with his eyes before whispering "You've seen..."

"Don't even say it!" Lucy denied what he was implying while firmly closing her eyes shut.

"Well if you hold him , I'll pull his pants down" Happy suggested "after that just place him on the bowl and we'll take it from there"

"Oh... kay..." she breathed heavily before following the procedure her eyes closed the whole time.

"Awesome!" the Dragon Slayer exclaimed in joy "Now all I gotta..."

"I'm not gonna be here for that!" Lucy screamed, her hands flailing wildly above her head as she quickly ran out of the bathroom, shutting the door behind her with a bang.

After the business was over with and they all found themselves in the living room, there was an awkward sort of silence, hanging in the air. Or well Lucy felt there was as they sat exchanging looks with each other.

Just when Lucy was about to say something they heard someone knocking at the door, making the blonde bounce from her position to greet the visitors. Opening the door she was greeted by Wendy and Poly who stood with opposite emotions on their face. Wendy being happy and Poly being grumpy.

Before the girl got a chance to tell them to come in, Poly rushed past her and made her way to her patient, Wendy following close behind while apologizing for being so rash.

None of them said anything as the healers worked in silence, using their glowing hands to scan Natsu's body and occasionally nod to each other.

"Move your arm!" Poly ordered all of a sudden making the Dragon Slayer somewhat weakly follow that procedure. This was continued with his legs and other muscles until the old healer was satisfied.

"You can move somewhat for now, but it's still restricted until you're fully healed. Your vocal chords should be working somewhat properly too, all though it might have some... mmm... glitches I think is the right term to use" she said while getting up on her feet "And remember to take your medicine, two each day it's important for the process"

"But..." Natsu interrupted in a weak voice earning him an evil glare from the older healer.

"Do as I say or I force it down your throat myself" her eyes flared with anger before she slammed a bottle of pills on the table. After that she spun around on her heels and left the apartment.

"Ahh wait!" Wendy exclaimed out loud, before bowing towards Lucy, Happy and Natsu "I'm sorry I gotta go!"

And with that they were alone again as the blue haired mage, sprinted out of the apartment.

"This is neat" the Dragon Slayer exclaimed with happiness as he stretched his arms above his head.

"... wish they would have come sooner though..." Lucy whispered to herself, still feeling mentally traumatised from the toilet episode earlier.

"You better take that medicine right away..." Happy said in a serious voice "... imagine if she comes back"

"Ohhh!" looking a bit more pale the Dragon Slayer quickly snatched the bottle of pills and made two pills drop into the palm of his hand, which he then downed.

"I'm hungry..." the cat said, his stomach grumbling loudly.

"Me too" Lucy said, feeling the urge to eat something disgusting ...like a cheeseburger with fries.

"Let's go get some then" Natsu said in an enthusiastic tone earning sceptic looks from the two others.

"You sure that's a good idea?" the blonde asked.

"Why not? I mean the both of you can easily carry me if something goes wrong" he smirked mockingly, making Lucy shake her head.

"Naa-aww, my back is already killing me! But if something happens I can always fetch Elfman and get him to carry you" she said while getting up on her feet "Ohh well it suits me fine, I don't really feel like cooking anyway"

"Let's go!" Happy cheered as he flew out of the window.

"Yes..." Natsu said, his voice cracking slightly as he tried to get up on his feet. His legs was so wobbly though, making it extremely hard to even stand up.

"Need help?"

"No?"

"Idiot..." Lucy smiled as she placed herself beside him, so he could place his arm around her shoulder, before they both got up on their feet.

Once up on his feet he tried to take a step forwards, but the movement made the legs in his muscles stagger and shake, for not being used for that long, even if they had been healed a bit.

"Just hang on to me, I'll get us there" Lucy smiled warmly towards him.

"You sure? I mean your back..."

"It's okay, as long as I don't have to carry all your weight" she answered honestly, because it was surprisingly not straining her back too much.

"Neat" he smiled back at her and with that settled they found themselves getting out of her apartment and down to a place where they could fill their empty stomachs.

 _We'll get some food into you..._ Lucy thought to herself, when her hands accidentally brushed against his ribcage, reminding her that he had lost a lot of weight during his coma … _I solemnly swear that I'll take care of you no matter what... my stupid idiotic Dragon Slayer..._

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

Food is good and a lot of it paid by Lucy was even better! Heck it didn't matter that his muscles felt extremely weak, making it take a bit more time than it usually did, for him to consume food, because it was all just great! Absolutely fantastic! Yes sir!

Well the fact that he was feeling a tiny bit light headed because of the medicine, only seemed to make it more fun as he enjoyed his meal with his two best buddies.

After a while they eventually managed to finish their meal and left the restaurant. Once outside Happy said something about needing to be somewhere, before he flew off by himself. Which left the two humans standing outside, Natsu once more resting his arm over Lucy's shoulder for support.

Standing there they just looked at the sky with a sense of melancholia hanging in the air, which caused the Dragon slayer to narrow his eyes as he watched some clouds moving.

The war and all stuff that happened there, seemed like it had been yesterday to him. Which made sense because he had been in a coma, ever since the dreadful events finished.

Natsu was lucky to be alive, he knew that which couldn't be said for the comrades they had lost. He got to learn about that the previous day, which had sent him into a fit of anger but after gaining control of his emotions. Alcohol did a lot to suppress his emotions and as time passed by, he managed to push his negative feelings aside and enjoy the evening. The anger and outrage was still there though, roaming in the back of his mind.

Which made sense, because it was way too much for any sane person to just accept and get over with.

"Luce?" he finally managed to find his voice after a moment of silence.

"Mm?" she blinked and turned her head to look at him.

"Can I ask you a favour?"

"As long as it isn't to get seconds, then sure"

"Take me to the graveyard" his voice was low and serious "I need to see it"

"If you're sure... then yes, I'll do that" Lucy sounding extremely sad.

"Thanks" he gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze with his arm, to show her he appreciated that.

"You're welcome" she faked a smile before they started walking towards their destination.

Surely a graveyard was the perfect location after a great meal, because surely nothing could definitely go wrong if they went there.

 _Right?_

* * *

 **A/N:** I don't know how many chapters of this I'll make, but there's a few more before I tie the knot and make a precious "The End" flower on the story. There are a few things that needs answered, I typed about ages ago.

You'll see :D

Bonus info: when I was trying to graveyard, I ended up with the word "graveyward". Don't no what that is, but I like gravey XD

To guest reviewer Amy: Thank you! I'm glad you like it :D

Have a nice one! See ya soon :)

/Hejmdal


	42. Chapter 42

**Disclaimer:** Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima

 _ **ACT VI: Reverberation Time – Gathering what's left**_

 _ **Approximately X793**_

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

 **Chapter 42: Emotional train**

The graveyard was well kept and the same could be said for the tombstone, that had all of their fallen comrade's names written on it. All around the stone a lot of flowers had been neatly arranged so it looked absolutely dazzling for the beholder visiting the place.

Natsu didn't care about it though, for him it actually seemed silly that it was decorated so goddamn much. Seriously who wanted to waste so much effort on placing ridiculous stuff on something like that? It wasn't like the corpses would appreciate it, nor would it somehow bring them back to life.

 _Silly... it was a silly gesture and one he didn't truly understand or appreciate..._

The fact that it was all so new to him, did nothing to improve his mood.

 _Placing flowers just seemed like they accepted their deaths... right?_

Lucy was praying silently in front of the grave, while he was standing behind her, his back leaning against another tombstone, so he didn't need the girl's support to keep himself standing straight.

"I just don't get it..." he said once the blonde unfolded her hands, signifying she was finished.

"Mmm?" she hummed in response.

"It's just silly..." he took a shaking breath before continuing "... I mean yeah I knew it wouldn't be easy.. that stuff might happen, but not like this..."

"I know..." Lucy turned her head to stare at the tombstone "... it doesn't feel right"

Not answering her, Natsu bit down his lip as he took in the wide range of emotions that rushed through his system. Pain, sorrow, anger... all of them fluctuated inside of him, making him uncertain how to act.

 _It just seemed impossible... it wasn't real and yet there the stone was, with their names written on it... no... they couldn't be gone, not forever... this was a really bad joke, they would come back no matter what! But... they never would, would they?_

The sound of Lucy sniffling made his back stiffen in shock, which was quickly replaced with sorrow as he watched her sulking body, shake with emotions.

 _No..._ her tears made the situation seem all too real, making him gulp loudly before his anger intensified in volume.

 _He wouldn't accept it..._ the sight of Lucy being all emotional, made something snap inside of him. It was purely on instinct but he wanted nothing more than to eradicate the thing that made her suffer, even if that meant denying the truth.

"This isn't right..." he muttered in an angry tone "... it can't be"

"I'm sorry..." the celestial mage answered, before wiping away a few tears.

"Don't apologize, it ain't your fault" Natsu growled "I mean they were all strong mages so why?"

"I don't know" she answered honestly.

"Well who knows?!" he shot her a piercing stare, which caused her to flinch.

"I... uhm..."

"This is just unacceptable, you know?" the Dragon Slayer spat, his voice fuming with anger "None of this should have happened... if it weren't for that pathetic brother of mine and that idiotic dragon, then they wouldn't be dead right now"

"Please calm down..." Lucy tried appealing.

"Why should I do that?!" he shouted angrily, sending saliva flying. The outburst made his throat hurt incredibly much from the strain he was pulling on his vocal chords, but he didn't care.

"Because..." not coming up with an answer she just shook her head.

"This is just stupid!" he continued his rant "Dying is just selfish..."

"What?!" Lucy snapped her head up to send him a bewildered look "Show some respect! They sacrificed their lives for peace!"

"That's no excuse!" he gritted his teeth hard against each other, knowing all to well that he had crossed the line with that remark.

"How can you say that?!" she asked looking outraged.

"Easy, I opened my mouth!" he countered childishly.

"You're being so annoying and unreasonable right now!" Lucy snapped back in anger "Sometimes the only solution is sacrificing everything or at least an important part of your life to get victory!"

"That's never a real choice! There's always a better way than to make such a sacrifice"

"How can you be so ignorant?"

"I'm not, you're just being pessimistic"

"Ohh yeah? Then please tell me, what do you think about Igneel's death, didn't he fight with all his might but lost?"

"How DARE you..." he hissed his eyes narrowing with fury.

"I dare this, because you don't get it!" she screamed her eyes tearing up once more with both anger and sorrow "Sometimes... sometimes you can get so desperate that the only solution is either choosing death or to give up someone you hold dear..."

"What...?!" he paused briefly because there was something utterly suspicious about her sudden change in behaviour.

"I know about sacrifices and the consequences it has..." Lucy said in a low voice her body shaking uncontrollably "You... have no idea what I had to give up because I wasn't strong enough... what I had to do to save everyone..."

Her face changed and he could literally see how her heart seemed to splinter, before she spun around on her heals in order to flee from the situation.

"You..." her voice cracked as multiple tears started to stream down her face "... you know nothing and you don't care... you never did, did you? That's why it was so easy for you to leave me back then wasn't it...?"

"Wha...?" his jaw dropped visibly, because he did not expect her to say something so heartfelt, nor did he truly realise why she suddenly broke down.

Feeling baffled and confused, he stood frozen in his position as she spun around on her heels and ran away.

"What the...?" the Dragon Slayer stood questioning everything as he watched her body vanish, which caused him to shake his head and snap back to reality after a minute of standing like a motionless idiot.

"Ohhh no you don't!" Natsu growled with the intention of persuading the girl, but unfortunately he didn't take more than a few steps, before his legs gave up underneath him, making him fall flat on his face with a moan.

"Damn it!" he complained, before a fit coughs overwhelmed him, his throat feeling like he had consumed something with acid in it, as he eventually was out of breath making him gasp for air through his mouth.

Feeling determined he started crawling ever so slowly, his fingers digging into the ground as he tried pulling his body along, not at all disheartened by the fact that he didn't cover a lot of distance.

Natsu didn't know how long he struggled with this, when he felt something wet hitting the back of his neck.

"You've got to be kidding me" his eyes narrowed in suspicion and sure enough a moment later it started pouring down, like the skies themselves wanted to punish him for being an idiot.

Natsu didn't know for how long he tried dragging his body along the surface, getting him absolutely nowhere as the ground became muddy and super slippery, making it even harder to use his already limited strength to pull himself further.

"God damn it!" he cursed loudly, as a lightning flickered across the sky followed by a huge bang "Great... this is just great!"

It didn't take long before his entire body was drenched in both water and mud, making him growl as his fingers managed to create two huge holes in the ground, from where he had tried to pull himself forwards.

The Dragon Slayer wasn't sure how long he laid like that when he spotted a figure approaching him, which he immediately recognised.

"Luce!" he called making the girl momentarily stop in her tracks "I..." he started but a sudden lightning burst made him flinch slightly in surprise.

"I know..." the girl replied in a low voice as she approached him "I'm sorry..."

"Huh?"

"I shouldn't have left you alone like this..." she said in a neutral tone while hunching down in front of him "... I'm sorry"

"Lucy?"

"Please, just leave it for now okay" the blonde shook her head.

"What?!" feeling outraged he snapped his neck backwards to look at Lucy and to his surprise she looked completely emotionless. Especially her eyes looked so dull like she was staring into another world he couldn't see.

"I don't want to talk about it right now..." the girl continued in her monotone voice "... now let's get back home, you look like you could use a shower..."

"... again..." he pouted feeling slightly annoyed, but that feeling quickly vanished especially when he looked at Lucy seeming so... well cold and indifferent.

Not saying anything to his little remark, the celestial mage took a deep breath as she got up on her feet to find her keys. Finding the one she needed she summoned Capricorn, who bowed before her when he appeared.

"What seems to be the problem?" the spirit asked as he took in the situation.

"I'm sorry to ask you this, but could you carry him back to my apartment?"

"Of course, I'll make haste" Capricorn nodded before throwing the squealing Dragon Slayer over his shoulder.

"Thank you" Lucy said with a hint of sadness, earning a sceptic look from her spirit, before he stormed off.

"Will you stop running like that?!" Natsu complained "It feels like I'm on a bouncing... ugh... castle" his eyes started to twirl as his motion sickness kicked in.

"I do not follow your order young sir" Capricorn stated while keeping his fast pace.

"Moohh... mmph!" the Dragon Slayer gulped as a metallic saliva spawned in his mouth.

"I will however slow down my pace if you provide me with some information"

"... kay..." he agreed in a pathetic sound, making the spirit slow down into a walk, which helped a lot on his sickness. Sure it wasn't gone, but it wasn't as bad as it was at first.

"Why was she sad?" he asked in a voice, which was filled with restricted anger.

"I don't know" he inhaled a huge amount of air before exhaling it "We had an argument about... well about dying and something about sacrifices... I've never seen her so angry before"

"Mmm..." Capricorn mulled "That makes sense..."

"No it doesn't!" Natsu shook his head "She made it sound like she had to give up something in order to overcome something and she would never do something like that! It's not in her nature!"

"So she hasn't told you about it" the spirit sighed loudly.

"Told me what?"

"It's not in my jurisdiction to provide you with that information" he hoisted the Dragon Slayer into a new position against his shoulder "Thank you for the information"

"Wait I... ggghhh!" he gulped as Capricorn sprinted down the streets making his motion sickness intensify in volume.

 _Stupid spirit..._ Natsu thought inwardly cursing it all, as they eventually reached their destination.

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

After being dumped on the floor in her apartment, the fire mage found himself left in the living room, while the lightning occasionally struck outside.

Some people might call Natsu an idiot and sure enough, sometimes he could be rather slow compared to other people. Which was true especially when it came to emotions, which was why he couldn't really figure out what was with Lucy's attitude, but there was something about it that spoke volumes about an incident that must have happened to her, when he wasn't around.

 _But what?_

"Gosh..." exhaling a shaking breath he used his fire to dry his clothes, making some of the mud crumble and fall down on the ground, where it turned into dust.

 _I know about sacrifices and the consequences it has... You... have no idea what I had to give up because I wasn't strong enough... what I had to do to save everyone.._.. Lucy's voice echoed in his mind.

"So she sacrificed something but what...?" he mulled to himself when he had a flashback to the war, where Lucy had thought against a demon that had a lava like ability... knowing she was a smart girl he had questioned why she didn't summon Aquarius since that spirit would have been a perfect opponent against the hot creature. She had dodged the question and said something about not being able to do it, but he never received a direct answer.

"Ohhh..." his mouth turned into a circle when he finally realised what it all implied "... that's why Capricorn knew about it... gosh I'm so stupid!" he weakly facepalmed himself and in the same moment the door opened, revealing a soaked blonde.

She didn't say anything, but just quietly entered the living room before closing the door. Once that was done, Lucy just stood perfectly still like she was having a staring contest with the door, or she had found a spot on it that was particularly interesting.

"Luce I know" he stated but didn't get any reaction from her.

"Turn around" Natsu tried but that didn't work either.

"Jeez!" he complained "I know about Aquarius"

"What?" she spun around on her heels and gave him a sceptic look "Did Capricorn tell you?"

"No, I kinda worked it out myself, from the stuff you said earlier" his eyes narrowed "I'm sorry I didn't know that..."

"Well how could you?" she smiled sadly, not moving from her position "After all I didn't tell anyone about it..."

"Why not?" the Dragon Slayer tilted his head to the sight feeling confused.

"I'm not sure..." she admitted before making her way over to him, where she placed herself on the ground "... maybe I didn't want to admit that she's gone"

"But that's just silly"

"Yeah... I know"

None of them said anything for a few seconds, as the revelation really sank in.

"It must have been lonely..." Natsu finally broke the silence "... when did it happen?"

"Back when we fought against Tartarus..."

"That's like ages ago!" his eyes widened in surprise, especially because she had managed to keep that a secret so long.

"I know..."

"But how?! Why?!"

"I wasn't strong enough" she answered while leaning forwards to cover her eyes with her hair "I had to sacrifice her key, in order to get enough power to win... if not all of you guys would have... you would have..."

"Died..."

"Yeah..."

"Damn... I'm sorry..."

"Don't be..." she chuckled in a weird and sad way "... it was my own fault..."

"Come on, don't say that"

"But it's true... and because of that I had to sacrifice her key... you said it yourself, that there's always a solution other than sacrificing something, so what does that make me? A pathetic mage, who had to break her own key as her last resort?"

"I didn't mean it like that..." he tried defending when he noticed that her body was trembling.

"I know..." Lucy sniffled before a sneeze overwhelmed her, making her body bounce slightly from the ground.

"Bless you"

"Thanks..."

"Eyy... you're still drenched aren't ya?" he realised feeling somewhat stupid all of a sudden.

"Uh-huh"

"Come here, I'll warm you up" the Dragon Slayer raised his arms encouraging her to accept his embrace, which she did right away, as she hugged his torso tightly.

"Easy now, you might break my spine" he chuckled warmly, making her loosen her hold.

"... sorry..."

"It's okay" he smiled warmly before raising his own temperature, to heat the wet girl "Jeez you're freakishly cold!" Natsu winced when he noticed how cold her body felt against him, making him rub her arms with his hands in order to provide some heat to them.

It didn't take long before the celestial mage was dry, which caused her to slump more sluggishly against him.

"Natsu..."

"Yeah?"

"You should go take a shower... you're filled with mud"

"Come on" he groaned loudly "I took a bath this morning thanks to you"

"Suit yourself" Lucy yawned loudly as she got on her feet "But you're not allowed on the couch, when you're that filthy"

"It's just a little dirt..." he complained knowing fully well that it was no use arguing with her.

"Mmm..." she yawned again while stretching her arms above her body "... gosh I'm beat..."

"Me too..." he nodded more to himself than to her.

"Is it okay if we just relax today and perhaps watch a few movies?"

"Yeah that's fine"

"Neat..." the blonde yawned again "... okay I'm gonna go take a quick hot shower, will you be okay on your own?"

"Of course" he rolled with his eyes "It's not like I'm a baby you know"

"Uh-huh" Lucy smirked before she found her pyjamas, she then brought with her into the bathroom. Shortly after that the Dragon Slayer heard the sound of the shower turning on, signifying she was taking her bath.

"Ahh..." exhaling he leaned backwards until he hid the floor, where he laid perfectly while staring at the ceiling. Not thinking about anything in particularly he just laid there until Lucy eventually finished her bath and came back to the living room.

"That was great" the blonde exhaled loudly, making him turn to look at her where he noticed that her skin had turned slightly pink.

"Mmm... that isn't really convincing..." he grumbled, earning a confused look from Lucy.

"What do you mean?" she asked while using a towel to dry her hair.

"It ain't convincing me to take a shower"

"Ohhh..." she smiled somewhat teasingly "... well if you don't I decide what movies we're gonna watch"

"What?!" rolling over on his side he sent her a bewildered look "You can't be serious?!"

"Ohh but I am... only people on the couch has a saying in what we're gonna watch"

"... you can be such a bully sometimes..." his eyebrow twitched in annoyance.

Not answering him Lucy just smiled warmly, before she strolled over and placed herself on the couch.

"Mmm..." she hummed to herself "I think I want to watch some chick flicks..."

"Not that! Anything but that!" his eyes widened in horror "Fine, I'm taking a shower!" he shouted in determination, as he quickly crawled out to the bathroom, where he somewhat awkwardly managed to take his clothes of before getting under the shower.

"... stupid bath..!" he complained childishly as the water removed the mud from his body, until he was eventually clean. Determining that was good enough, he used his fire once more to dry himself, before he weakly crawled over to his pile of clothes.

"Mmm..." he rummaged through it, until he found his boxers which fortunately wasn't muddy or dirty.

 _Well it was better than nothing._.. Natsu shrugged before manoeuvring them on and drying them with his heat. Once that was over with he immediately crawled into the living room, his target being the couch which he reached rather quickly. Which Lucy didn't notice, so she screamed in surprise when the half naked guy suddenly sat beside her.

"Yo-yo-you!" she blushed fiercely and snapped her head the other way.

"What?" he asked feeling confused.

"Where are your clothes?"

"In the bathroom" blinking he continued "You said no mud on your couch right?"

"Right..."

"And my boxers aren't muddy, but if it's such a big deal I can take them off..."

"No-no-no! It's fine!" Lucy smiled awkwardly before she bounced off the couch.

"Where are you going?"

"Just a second..." she answered before coming back with her duvet, she then offered him "... here"

"Thanks!" taking it from her hands Natsu snuggled it against it.

"You're welcome" she answered before placing herself next to him.

Not saying anything he offered her some of the duvet, which she accepted and placed above her legs.

"So what do you want to see?" Lucy asked before snatching the rather expensive lacrima that could play movies. It had cost a fortune and he secretly wanted to play with it.

"Something with action!" he suggested while fist bumping the air.

"Mmm..." she swiped the surface of the lacrima, looking through the movies that the stone contained "... how about The Secret Samurai?"

"Sounds good" Natsu answered while getting comfortable on the couch, as Lucy placed the lacrima on the table.

As the movie played it didn't take long before the blonde was snoring peacefully curled into a small ball on her end of the couch.

"Heh..." smiling to himself he turned his attention away from the girl and back to the movie. Or well sort of, he did sometimes look at her through the corner of his eyes, just to make sure she was doing okay, especially because she would make this little jerk with her body, where her eyebrows would squint together as if she was experiencing something uncomfortable in her mind.

It was during one of her fits, that he noticed that she was silently crying in her sleep which caused his heart to clench painfully inside his chest.

"Come on..." Natsu very gently placed his arm across her shoulder, before maneuvering her head to lay on his lap "... it's gonna be okay"

She seemed to be somewhat content in her sleep after that, making him sigh loudly before he started stroking her hair.

"Good girl..." he smiled to himself before turning his attention back to the movie. Or whatever was left of his attention, because the day's events was starting to pull a toll on him too, making him yawn loudly.

Feeling the drowsiness starting to overwhelm him, he leaned his head backwards against the couch in order to sit in a more comfortable position.

"Mmm..." the Dragon Slayer hummed in content and closed his eyes. It didn't take more than a few minutes before he drifted into sleep as well, where he sat with a stream of saliva running down his chin.

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

Lucy knew she was dreaming, the minute she walked into her kitchen and saw Natsu stand at her stove making perfectly fired pancakes.

"It's about time you woke up" he smiled widely while flipping the pan.

"Ohh... sorry" she answered him with a confused expression on her face.

"You better be..." he raised one of his hands up in front of him, where black flames suddenly emerged from his palm before it grew in volume making it lick up his arm.

"Ahh!" squealing in surprise the blonde quickly found a bottle of water she poured over the fire but it didn't extinguish.

"You need another substance to turn off this fire" he growled in a voice filled with malicious intentions, his eyes changing into a red colour "It needs your blood"

"No..." she gulped loudly as Natsu slowly turned into his demonic version, only this time he had Acnologia's markings spread all over his body as well.

"Yes..." Natsu licked his lips as he took a step towards her "... it's time you die for your sins"

Standing frozen in fear she just watched as the black flames grew in intensity until it was all over the majority of her kitchen, making her shiver uncontrollably.

"This way!" Gray's voice suddenly shouted before she felt someone grab her hand. As he did the scene completely changed making her suddenly run down the streets of Magnolia.

"Come on we don't have much time" he encouraged her to run faster before they made their way into a back alley.

"... he'll find us" she whispered having this foreboding feeling that once the demon found them, he would shred them to pieces.

"Shh..." the ice mage pushed her against the wall, where they both stood listening in silence.

 _He was coming..._ she could feel how the fear made her heart slam against her ribcage, almost as if it could sense his presence coming closer.

Looking out on the street she watched as a tiny amount of flames suddenly emerged from the ground. At first it was just a tiny streak but eventually it grew into a huge wave that looked like an insane type of storm, that only contained raging black fire.

 _He's here... this is it..._ tears streamed down her face and her bladder suddenly clenched together signifying that she was on the brink of peeing herself.

"You'll never end up like him..." Gray says in a mysterious tone, making her turn her head to look at the ice mage "... you just need the courage to fight"

"You really think so?" she questioned almost as if she knew what he was talking about.

"I do" Gray smiled as gave her a tight hug "Sometimes it's all just a little mixed up"

"I see"

Using his thumb to remove a stray tear from her cheek he lowered his head and placed his lips on hers. At first it confused her, but then she just let go of her own consciousness and engulfed herself in the kiss.

It felt... weird... but also oddly satisfying on some really bizarre level.

"You know sometimes it's better to let it all vanish..." Natsu suddenly stood beside them with a sad expression on his face "... to let it go..."

"This isn't..." she gasped, her stomach clenching in a sickening way as an overwhelming sorrow spawned in her body "... it's not..."

"I know..." he smiled sadly while raising his hand, making Gray vanishing completely "... that's why I'll be the sacrifice..."

"No!" she extended her arm towards him, but he was out of her reach "Please!"

Natsu didn't answer her as a huge wave suddenly spawned behind him.

"No..." she sank as the water grew in volume, before it suddenly fell down towards them. However it didn't hit the Dragon Slayer but ran past him, until it hit her making her wobble on her feet as more and more water seemed to come at her.

It didn't take long before she lost her balance making her follow the stream of water, away from the Dragon Slayer who stood with a cold expression on his face.

"Natsuuuu...!" Lucy shouted, but when she opened her mouth it was instantly filled with water.

She was helplessly stuck inside the huge stream of liquid, without control or any way to get away. It was frightful and unless something happened she would drown... she would actually die right then and there...

"I'm right here..." she heard Natsu saying from somewhere in the distance, making her eyes fly open.

 _Where... what?_ Lucy questioned as she laid staring with huge frightened eyes around her apartment. She knew it was a dream or rather a nightmare but still... taking a few shaking breaths a really uncomfortable shiver ran down her spine, making her realise that her entire body was covered in a thin layer of sweat. Lucy also felt how her stomach was like a tense knot of sadness that hurt her physically.

"Haaah..." the blonde exhaled loudly, noticing that someone was gently stroking her hair. It felt really nice and soothing as she tried to regain her mood, since her feelings were like a ball of strings that was flying randomly everywhere.

"You okay?" Natsu asked making her nod slightly against his lap where her head was still positioned. She didn't know how or why they had gotten into that position nor did she care, because him being there slowly made her mind more stable and calm. That was until Lucy remembered a certain kiss in her dream, making her stop breathing for a second as guilt overwhelmed her system.

 _Why did she do that? What was wrong with her?_

Feeling incredibly sad she slowly got into a sitting position, where the fire mage sat watching her with a confused expression.

Moving sluggishly, like someone had drained all of the energy from her body Lucy made her way to the bathroom. After closing the door she leaned against it, before her body slid down until she was sitting on the floor.

"Why... I don't understand..." folding her legs up she wrapped her arms around them so she could hug them against her chest "... he's my friend..."

The emotional pain in her stomach seemed to spread up into her throat, before it seemed to rummage through the rest of her body into each cell, which made her tingle in a weird and really unpleasant way, like she was suddenly having a cold sweat.

Feeling terrible both mentally and physically Lucy started crying silently. She didn't understand where all of this was coming from, but it was like some sort of invisible wall had cracked and crumbled inside of her, releasing all of the sadness she had kept in check for over a year.

 _You'll always be alone with your sorrow... when you need them the most something will come to shatter it all, be it yourself or someone else..._

"I don't want that.." she bit down her lips as the tears continued to stream down her cheeks.

"Luce...?" Natsu's voice suddenly spoke from the other side of the door "... you okay?"

"Yeah..." she managed to say in an even voice not revealing her fragile state "... I'll be out in a minute..."

Sighing loudly she very slowly got up on her feet before walking over to the sink. Which was fortunate for her, because a second later the door slammed open with a huge crash as it almost splintered against the wall.

"I said I would be out in a moment! And where did you get the strength to crash my door!" she said in what was supposed to sound like a thread, but came out utterly weak as she used her sleeve to dry her eyes.

"Knowing you and being in the bathroom a moment is more like thirty minutes" The Dragon Slayer argued as he gave her the elevator look.

"I wasn't taking a shower" she took a deep breath while placing the palm of her hands against her eyes, hoping it could somehow prevent the tears from coming, but she couldn't seem to stop them.

"What's wrong?" Natsu asked in a low voice, as he inspected the room to make sure there wasn't any physical things in there who could harm her.

"Nothing..."

"Uh-huh"

"Really it's nothing" she looked at him and was surprised to see him stare back with something that looked like sympathy, which caused her stomach to twitch even more in pain before tears unwillingly flowed down her cheeks again "It... really isn't"

Lucy's knees buckled underneath her, sending her down into a sitting position on the ground where she sat crying, no longer capable of keeping it under control.

Not saying anything Natsu walked over to her before he carefully scooped her up from the floor and into his arms, before he carried her back to the couch, where he gently sat down with the girl who was still curled up against his chest. She didn't know how on earth he got the strength to do this, but she presumed he had regained some of his strength after resting on the couch. Or perhaps it was some instinct thing, that was convenient for the plot, she couldn't tell for sure.

"I'm sorry..." Lucy whispered in a weak tone before her arms snaked around his torso.

"It's okay to cry you know..." he said while stroking her back with his hand.

"I..." she sucked in her breath, her arms tightening their hold on him almost as if she wanted to make sure he was real "... you'll never leave me will you?"

"Naaaw we're a team!" he chuckled warmly "I would never leave my partner all alone"

"You sure?" she asked in a shaking voice.

"It's a promise"

Her face distorted in pain and relief as she snuggled her head against his stomach, not at all caring that he was still shirtless as she started crying her heart out.

Lucy didn't know for how long they sat like that, but she could honestly say that it felt good letting it all out while getting comfort from another person. Sure she had done that before, but there had just been so much piled up inside of her, that she needed to unload and now it came pouring out with her salty tears, while her best friend was casually stroking her back.

Once she finished Lucy felt utterly tired mentally, like she had just used her brain to solve the biggest mathematical mystery in the world.

"You feel better?" Natsu asked as he removed some hair from her face, making her smile against his stomach.

"Yeah... thank you" she slowly removed her arms and sat looking at him, her cheeks blushing from her little outburst.

"Anytime" he smiled but suddenly turned all serious "All though if you say I'm gonna have to take a shower after you stained me with water I might reconsider that"

Lucy couldn't stop laughing at that as she placed her hands on his shoulders "You silly goose, of course I wouldn't force you to do that"

"Awesome!"

"Instead..." feeling bold she gently kissed his forehead which caused his shoulders to stiffen "... I'm gonna ask you to go wash your clothes, since it's still filled with mud"

"Oy!" his eyebrows twitched in annoyance, which caused her to wiggle her tongue teasingly at him before she quickly bounced into a standing position.

"I'm starving!" she smiled warmly while stretching both arms above her head.

"Me too!"

"Well I'm gonna go fetch us some dinner, I assume you want the kids menu, right?" she giggled childishly, making the Dragon Slayer's eyes widen in what looked like horror.

"Wait what?! Hell no!"

"Just kidding!" she winked at him, while putting her shoes on "I'll make sure to get you something nice. In the mean time I'll allow you to find the next movie on the lacrima, however!" she raised her index finger "If you break it, I will torture you all night!"

"That doesn't sound like a bad idea" his eyes narrowed as he took her in.

"... yeah you're definitely sleeping on the couch tonight..." she whispered to herself before exiting her apartment to go down and find some treats for the two of them.

* * *

 **A/N:** Sorry for being absent, I just didn't feel like typing for some reason :(

Stupid mind is stupid *cries loudly*

Be prepared though there will soon be some... mmm... yummy stuff coming if you like a bit of romance *.*

/Hejmdal


	43. Chapter 43

**Disclaimer:** Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima

 _ **ACT VI: Reverberation Time – Gathering what's left**_

 _ **Approximately X793**_

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

 **Chapter 43: It's about time**

The rest of the day went by rather eventless, as the Dragon Slayer and Celestial mage enjoyed their time resting while watching different movies. It was a good day for both of them, because they had been through enough emotional struggles, so it was nice to forget about it all, even if it was just for a short while.

They had just finished one of the movies, when Natsu turned to look at Lucy who looked like she was seconds away from falling asleep.

"Nnngh!" he stretched both arms over his head, making the muscles prickle a tiny bit in pain. In response to this the blonde followed the same procedure.

"That was awesome" Natsu managed to say, before he felt the urge to yawn, so he did making him open his mouth in order to let it out.

"Yeah..." Lucy whispered while rubbing her eyes, with the palm of her hands "... I'm tired..."

"Me too..."

"I'm gonna go brush my teeth..." she yawned while sluggishly getting up on her feet, before strolling out to the bathroom, where she did her business and returned to the couch.

"My turn then!" Natsu smiled to himself as he weakly did the same procedure, before returning to the girl who sat staring into thin air, with small tears gathering in her eyes.

"Ahhh..." Lucy moaned as she snatched her duvet and pillow, leaving a blanket and another pillow for Natsu to sleep with "... it's been ages since I've been this tired..."

"Mmm-hm..." he licked his teeth, which didn't go by unnoticed by the celestial mage.

"Did you brush your teeth?"

"Sure did!" Natsu smiled widely revealing his now super polished teeth.

"With what?" her eyes narrowed while a vein on her forehead started to throb visibly.

"I used yours" he looked a bit baffled as anger radiated from the girl "I mean what else could I do, it's not like I have my own here"

"Gaaah..." Lucy exhaled loudly the anger instantly vanishing "... I guess you're right... remind me to buy a new toothbrush tomorrow..."

"... sure" Natsu blinked feeling a bit confused that she let him off the hook so easily. It was probably because she was too tired to have an argument. Ohh well, he mentally shrugged before snuggling underneath the blanket on the couch.

"Goodnight" the blonde called once she got into her bed.

"Nighty night" Natsu answered back.

It didn't take more than a few heartbeats, before he was fast asleep dreaming about nothing in particular, with a stream of drool running down his cheek.

The Dragon Slayer laid like that for a few hours, when he suddenly felt something that felt like a fly carefully tickling his chest, making him lazily swat it away. But of course the bloody insects wouldn't stop, which caused him slowly drift out of his sleep, which made him use more force to make the pesky thing go away.

"Mmm..." he grumbled in annoyance when the thing started tickling his foot "... go away..."

Natsu tried wiggling with his feet, but the pestering thing kept coming back.

"Moohh..." complaining about his unfortunate situation, he was caught by surprise when he felt something that suspiciously felt a lot like teeth, suddenly dug into the meat on his left foot.

"Yaaarrrr!" a squeal escaped him, as he shot up into a sitting position, where he sat eyeing the culprit with huge confused eyes "Plue?!"

"Pun-pun..." the spirit let go of his foot, before it started staring at Natsu, like it could convey it's message through telepathy.

"Uhm..." his eyebrows twitched in confusion, as they sat having a very weird staring contest. As they did he suddenly he noticed a really weird bark, or something that sounded awfully a lot like a whimpering dog.

"Ehh...?" okay he knew Plue was supposed to be a dog like creature, but this was just too freakishly weird, especially because it had never barked or anything that sounded remotely like something a dog would say... bark... whatever!

The spirit seemed very displeased with him though, because suddenly it jumped down on his stomach, making Natsu exclaim an "Umpf" as he watched the spirit jump away from him. Once it had taken a few steps, it turned around and hoisted with his head evidently encouraging him to follow him.

"I'm really not in the mood for this..." he complained, but followed the spirit nonetheless. As Natsu dragged himself after Plue, he noticed that the dog sound seemed to get louder, signifying that it was something else in the apartment that made the noise. Which shouldn't at all come as a surprise, since he had already established that it wasn't Plue who made the sound.

 _Seriously, he was like super tired, so give a guy a break, will ya..._

"Mmmm..." he questioned his own sanity for a second, especially when he found himself standing in front of Lucy's sleeping figure.

 _Seriously what the...?_

Lucy's body suddenly jerked ever so slightly, as the barking like sound escaped her mouth.

 _Ohhh..._

It didn't take long for him to realise that it wasn't at all a bark, but more like her mumbling random stuff while occasionally whimpering.

Not noticing that Plue had vanished Natsu sat down on the bed and removed a few stray hairs from her forehead, while softly calling her name. She didn't respond to it at first, but after a while she slowly opened her eyes, making her stare up at him, with a confused expression.

"You okay?" he asked sincerely, making her blink a few times as she started to get out of her slumber.

"Natsu?" she called in a fragile voice "Is something wrong?"

"Well... uhm... you were making these weird noises..." he said feeling rather awkward all of a sudden.

"Ohh..." her eyes darted away, making her look directly at the wall "... I guess I was having a nightmare..."

"You guess?"

"Yeah... I can't really remember it..."

"So... uhm... you wanna talk about it?" Natsu asked still feeling a bit weird about what he should do about the current situation. After all he really wanted to go back to sleep, but he also wanted to ensure that Lucy was alright.

"No..." she sighed loudly "... I'm too tired"

"Me too..." he nodded with his head turning ever so slightly to stare at the free space next to Lucy. It was sooo luring to just dive in there next to her, especially because the couch suddenly seemed to be several hundred kilometres away.

"... you're not sleeping next to me..." Lucy said when she caught him eyeing her bed.

"I'm not?" he smirked teasingly, earning a small smile from the girl.

"Nope" she smiled wholeheartedly, making something spark inside of his mind.

"Ohh well, I guess I'm not gonna get any more sleep tonight then" Natsu smiled wickedly, before crawling underneath her large duvet, earning a small rant of protests from the Celestial mage.

"This is nice" he smiled widely, while snuggling a bit closer to her.

"Uhm..." Lucy blushed fiercely, when he found a nice position next to her "You know it's okay... you can go to sleep if you want to"

"It's fine..." his eyes flashed with amusement for a second "So don't you worry, there should be plenty I can do to keep myself entertained here"

"I... uhm..." her lips trembled, making her look like she was about to panic "... mmm..."

"Are you sick or something?" he said in a serious tone before he placed one of his hand against her forehead "Mmm, you know you are pretty hot"

"Do-don't say that!" Lucy's eyes glistened as she nonchalantly swatted his hand away.

"Why not?" Natsu asked in what sounded like a confused tone.

"Because it feels wrong..."

"Mm... you think so, huh?" he shrugged before turning onto his back, in order to look at the ceiling "... now go to sleep, I promise I'll stay awake"

"Yeah but doing what...?" Lucy asked, looking like she dreaded the answer.

"Nothing in particular..."

"You're not... gonna get physical?"

 _Gotcha!_ he inwardly snickered before answering "I might, I mean sure my muscles are still sore, but I need something to keep me awake right?"

"... even when I'm sleeping next to you..." her face seemed to be carved out of stone, as she glared back at him.

"It might actually be for the best if you're asleep, since I might pull something out you don't wanna see" he answered in neutral voice, howling with laughter on the inside.

"..." Lucy's entire body froze, making her look like a statue.

"What?" Natsu enquired and turned to look at her, while trying to look like he was confused by her actions.

"... " she looked directly into his eyes revealing no emotions whatsoever "... I'm wondering if I should summon Leo"

"You want him to watch you sleep too?" he raised an eyebrow "You're seriously weird sometimes Lucy"

"I'm not!" she spat back at him "You're the one hinting, that you're gonna do indecent stuff, when I fall asleep!"

"Huh?" he blinked a few times "Why is training my combat skills indecent?"

"You... what?" her jaw dropped visibly in surprise.

"Seriously your level of pervy thoughts isn't normal" Natsu smirked before he gently flicked a finger against her forehead.

"Auch..." Lucy complained while pouting ever so slightly.

"But you know..." his smiled turned more predatory as he continued "... I'm open for suggestions if you're not gonna sleep"

He could actually see a chill running through her body, before she suddenly slammed her pillow against his head.

"You stupid, perverted idiot!"

"Mmpf!" was all Natsu could manage to say, as she started rubbing the pillow more forcefully against his face.

 _Hell no, he wouldn't just lay there while she violated him!_

Smiling to himself, Natsu reached out for her body and once he made contact his fingers started tickling her stomach, making her squeal in surprise, before it was replaced with a bright giggle.

"Heh..." his eyes glistened with amusement, as he seized that as an opportunity to take the pillow and forcefully snatch it from the girl, who wasn't holding on to it that firmly.

"Ey!" Lucy protested "Give that back!"

"Nope!

"Mmm..." pouting defiantly she tried taking it away from him, but in defence he quickly moved the pillow in the opposite direction of the girl and out of her reach.

"Oy!" her arms started flailing in the pillows direction and her body would have followed in that direction too, if it wasn't for the fact that Natsu had quickly placed his free hand on her chest.

"Naaa-aw" he shook his head "This is mine now"

"Common stop being an idiot!" she tried once more but still didn't get any closer to her target.

"At least I'm not the one who is having indecent thoughts" he chuckled warmly "You perverted little girl!"

"It's your fault for saying... stuff!" her face turned totally red again at his accusation.

"Ughhh!" Lucy extended her hand so far she could in order to reach the pillow but it was a futile effort. The movement however caused the duvet to slip down from her upper body revealing her waist, which caused huge imaginary stars to spawn in the Dragon Slayer's eyes.

 _Chance!_

"Woop!" Natsu casually dropped the pillow and in a quick movement he used that hand to tickle her now exposed waistline.

"Wait! No... stop that!" she giggled profoundly and tried to snake away from the assault, but he used the opportunity to quickly force her onto her back, before he straddled her legs thereby preventing her from running away.

"Now where were we, mm?" his lips curled backwards revealing all of his shiny teeth.

"Plea-please" Lucy begged with small tears glistening in the corner of her eyes.

"Nope!" was his short answer before he mercilessly started tickling her stomach and ribs, resulting in Lucy howling with laughter.

"Heheh" Natsu loved teasing her like this, it was just so incredibly satisfying for some reason.

Or it was until he suddenly felt something pinching his thighs, which caused him to squeak in surprise before his body suddenly feel flat down on top of the protesting girl, who made a "Umpf" like sound, her eyes instantly becoming huge and bulky from the sudden development.

"What did you do that for?" he asked sounding mildly offensive, while hoisting himself up on his elbows.

"To make you stop" she huffed in response.

"Mmm..." wiggling with his nose in dissatisfaction, he stared down at the girl who was looking rather grumpy.

Feeling caught in the moment Natsu stayed in his position, just looking at Lucy who was starting to look like she was feeling rather uncomfortable.

Which made her look so gosh darn adorable, the way she was fidgeting ever so slightly, her cheeks blushing in a lovely red shade.

It was actually kinda weird but he could feel this weird tension, which came out of nowhere. Or well he had felt it before when he was this close to her, but it was still something he couldn't quite explain. Not that it needed to be, because Natsu actually knew all too well what it was. Heck he might be an idiot in other matters, but since this was such a primal almost instinctive drive, he could easily tell what it was.

His own cheeks started to blush, as he shook his head denying his own trail of thoughts to enter the perverted zone again, because that would be... pretty bad considering the circumstances.

 _Or would it?_

 _They had already kissed a few times, so..._

 _Would it be that bad?_

 _Was he a good boy?_

… _..._

"Uhm... can you get off me, please?" Lucy said sounding slightly nervous for some reason.

 _Screw this shit! Heh..._

"Are you sure that's what you really want?" Natsu asked with a playful grin on his face.

"Yes, it's kinda hard to sleep when you're hovering above me" her eyes became two thin lines, making it evident she had enough of his shenanigans.

"Mmm..." his eyes narrowed as he inched a bit closer to her face "... I don't think you mean that"

"I do!"

"Sure you do, however..." Natsu gently brushed his own cheek against her's, which caused her to stop breathing for a second, giving him the opportunity to gently whisper into her ear "... you can feel it too can't you?"

Lucy didn't say anything, but it did seem like her body became less tense all of a sudden.

"You know..." he continued speaking in a low voice "... isn't it about time we figure out what we are?"

"We're a team" she whispered in an almost inaudible voice.

"So..." his teeth gently nibbled on her earlobe, causing Lucy to gasp in surprise "... you only kissed me those times to remove the curse?"

"Ye-yes" she exhaled sounding completely flustered.

"Liar..." he smirked to himself before he placed a kiss on her cheekbone, his lips following a pattern that trailed down to her neck "... the first time you just placed your lips on mine. However..." he carefully bit her, causing Lucy to take a deep shaking breath "... you used your tongue the second time"

"I did" she her entire body trembling all over.

"Mmm-hm" Natsu hummed almost seductively, while continuing to place his libs against her neck.

"Ahh..." she gulped loudly, clearly struggling about what to do.

"Lucy..." he sighed before leaning backwards, so he could exchange a look with her "... do you like me?"

"Yes..." she answered honestly "... we're friends right"

"Only friends?" he asked in a serious tone while narrowing his eyes.

"I..." Lucy said sounding absolutely miserable "... I don't know"

"Yeah..." Natsu lowered his head for a second to gain his composure, before looking at her again and to his surprise tears was suddenly streaming down her face.

"What's wrong?" he asked sincerely in concern, before placing one of his hands against her cheek.

"I'm sorry..." she sobbed weakly "... I'm just... scared"

"Scared?" his eyebrows furrowed "About what?"

"That you don't really like me and that..." she took a deep breath before continuing "... that you'll leave me again..."

"Luce..."

"I'm sorry..." she smiled weakly up at him, causing his stomach to clench in pain "... I'm being a silly unreasonable idiot aren't I?"

"Yeah..." sucking in his breath he rested his forehead against hers "... so am I"

"Huh?"

"I know how you feel... you're scared that all your happiness will go away, because you've seen it before. All you know and the people you care for, just vanishing all of a sudden leaving you alone, to face the world" Natsu closed his eyes, recalling way to easily how lonely and scared he had been when Igneel vanished.

"But..." he gently stroked her cheek with his thumb "... sometimes you gotta take a chance and hope for the best... I know it's hard and scary, because in the end we're all alone, left to deal with everything ourselves..."

"Natsu..." Lucy whispered in a fragile tone "... that's an unusually gloomy thing for you to say"

"Heh..." he leaned backwards and faked a smile "... I guess it is"

"But you're right about taking a chance..." she nodded to herself "... some times... things can get better, making the world seem less lonely"

Lucy gently snaked her hands around his neck, forcing his head downwards until their lips met each other. Which caught him by surprise making his eyes widen in shock, because that was a super bold move on her behalf.

 _And he absolutely loved it!_

Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath through his nostrils, instantly feeling how her warm scent entered his system, while his stomach starting to tickle in a pleasant way, almost as if a million tiny fingers was poking it from all directions.

Straightening his back a bit, he turned his head slightly to the side before his tongue slipped into her mouth, making them battle each other on a level, that wasn't really like a fight at all.

 _What a silly comparison..._

He could feel Lucy's fingers carefully trailing down his back, causing a shiver of delight to run down his spine, making him moan loudly into her mouth.

Feeling light-headed he stopped their exchange by removing his tongue, however he didn't remove his head, resulting in both of them panting into each others mouths, making the air move back and forth between them.

After catching his breath he once more dove down and caught her lips with his own, this time his hands trailing down Lucy' arms, his gesture earning a gasp to escape her mouth, which seemed to make him feel more dizzy and more primal, in a way that was totally different than anything Natsu had ever experienced before.

Feeling the adrenaline and lust flow through his body, he once more kissed her cheek bone, following the same pattern down her neck, causing Lucy to shiver even more while her breathing became more staggered.

"Mmm..." he almost purred as his fingers carefully followed the contours of her stomach, until he finally located her hips, which he grabbed firmly with both of his hands. In reaction to that Lucy let out a moan, her legs twisting underneath him like she was uncertain what to do with them.

 _Holy mother of fucking everything!_

A growl formed in his throat, as Natsu hungrily kissed her mouth again, in what almost seemed desperate, like he needed this connection to live.

"Luce..." he managed to mutter in a low and husky tone, before he very gently placed a kiss on her forehead "... I really, really like you"

"I really, really like you too" she giggled warmly, while taking deep breaths through her mouth.

"Heh..." he leaned backwards and half smirked down at her, which caused Lucy to look slightly confused "... that was... something"

"Mm-hmm..." she agreed while her fingers started caressing his neck.

"We should get some sleep" Natsu suggested, before resting his forehead against hers again.

"Huh?" she blinked looking rather surprised, which caused him to chuckle.

"This isn't the right time to do that, but rest assured I'm not gonna show you any mercy when it happens" Natsu licked his lips and watched as Lucy's face turned completely red.

"I uhm..."

"You sweet and utterly perverted girl" he laughed wholeheartedly while wrapping his arms around her waist, pressing her firmly against himself.

"Oy" Lucy somewhat complained as she returned the hug.

Not responding he carefully rolled over on his back, making her lay on top of him.

"Ahh..." he exhaled loudly, his head still feeling affected by their little exchange.

"Mmm..." Lucy answered as she removed her arms from the embrace, before crawling up to his face where she placed a gentle kiss on his lips "... well goodnight then"

"G'night" he said while watching Lucy as she laid down next to him, her head using his torso as a pillow while one of her arms rested on top of his waist.

It took a little while after that, before any of them was content enough to sleep but once they did, they were both knocked out like they had been in a super long marathon, making them both so exhausted that they slept for a long time in each other's arms.

* * *

 **A/N:** Daaaaaaaaaaaw! They lub each other *.*

So I'm gonna end this story very soon, because right now it's just a nalu arc that doesn't have that much content. Which is fine and all, but I want to move on to other stories, since this one should have finished ages ago.

I think there'll be one perhaps two more chapters, where I wrap things up and then it's diddly-done!

It's gonna be so weird o.o

Have a nice one you lovely people!

/Hejmdal


	44. Chapter 44

**Disclaimer:** Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima

 _ **ACT VI: Reverberation Time – Gathering what's left**_

 _ **Approximately X793**_

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

 **Chapter 44: Saying Goodbye**

Lucy was fast asleep with a single droplet of saliva forming in the corner of her mouth, when she was abruptly awakened by a loud scream, that seemed to be so loud that it would echo throughout the entire city.

"What?!" the celestial mage shot up into a sitting position, but she only got a few seconds in that position before something knocked her backwards, making her crash against the Dragon Slayer who made a "ompf" like sound.

"Moooom!" a voice said as something warm and furry snuggled against her boobs.

"Mom...?!" looking down she wasn't that surprised to see a bundle of blue hair, that was evidently crying his eyes out against her lumps.

"And what do you think you're doing?" Natsu said in a rather grumpy voice as he nonchalantly grabbed the cat's tail and pulled him away, causing the crying thing to dangle from the Dragon Slayer's hand.

"I..." Happy sniffled and blinked with his huge glistening eyes "It's just... now that you're making babies with each other, I have a new mother"

"Making babies?" Natsu's eyebrows twitched in annoyance.

"Uhm..." Lucy gulped, her cheeks blushing fiercely because she instinctively knew, that if Natsu hadn't stopped when he did last night, things might have gone into unknown territory.

Seeing her reaction, the cat gasped loudly his tears vanishing like water under the sun as he turned to send a sly look towards his partner.

"Naaatsu..." Happy smirked wickedly "... Erza will kill you when I tell her about this"

"What?!" Natsu squeaked as he released the cat's tail "But we didn't do anything?!"

"Is that so Lucy?" the Exceed turned to look at her, his wicked smile causing a shiver to run down her spine.

"Ye-yeah, we didn't do anything" nodding with her head, she hoped her message would come across, but for some reason her answer only made Happy's smile broaden.

 _She did not like where this was going... at all!_

"Come on, stop teasing her will ya" Natsu grumbled as he turned to exchange a look with Lucy.

Of course she couldn't know what he was thinking, but that second she recalled their little exchange, causing her blush to intensify making it cover her entire body.

"Heh" the Dragon Slayer chuckled somewhat nervously as he started to blush as well.

"Ohhh!" Happy's eyes sparkled as he looked at the two in turn "Geheh, I can't wait to tell Erza about this"

"Ehh?!" Lucy's eyes widened in horror.

"You wouldn't..." Natsu whispered in a barely audible voice, his face looking extremely pale all of a sudden.

"How can you say that?" the cat looked slightly wounded as he spawned his wings and flew over to the open window "You know I absolutely would" he smiled smiled wickedly, before flying outside.

"Ahh..." Lucy didn't know what to say or do, but she didn't like the idea of Happy telling Erza something that might not be true, which could result in some major drama later on.

"Bloody hell!" Natsu jumped up on his feet and ran over to the window "Come back here you stupid cat!"

"... uhm..." she fidgeted feeling rather awkward all of a sudden. Well the fact that Natsu was shouting out of her window was one thing, the other was the fact she couldn't stop ogling him like he was a piece of delicious meat.

"I'm gonna kill him!" the Dragon Slayer vowed to no one as he clenched his fist in anger.

"Uh-huh" Lucy nodded, trying really hard not to look in his direction.

"Sorry about this" Natsu turned around and before she had time to react, he kissed her briefly before he left her apartment, by jumping out of her window.

"Oh..." blushing she just sat there staring into thin air when she realised that the idiot, had just left without wearing anything else than his underwear.

 _Yeah that wouldn't make him look less guilty, when he arrived at guild, huh?_

"Idiot..." sighing loudly she facepalmed herself.

 _Ohh well, she better get down there too to make sure Erza didn't turn her partner into a pancake._

So with that, Lucy quickly found some decent clothes, before she started her way towards the guild.

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

It didn't take long for Natsu to arrive at the guild, his insides twisting and turning, anticipating that the worst was about to happen. Which could either be him getting killed by his comrade or just getting slowly tortured, until he was a bundle of salty tears on the ground.

 _Ohh love was such a weird thing, huh?_

Trying not to dwell on it he barged through the doors, causing the people inside to jump in surprise.

"Happy!" he yelled trying to spot the tiny furball, which he found rather fast, since the cat was sitting on the bar with a satisfied look on his face.

 _Way too satisfied..._

In front of his little friend sat none other than the scarlet haired woman, who turned around that instant to look at him. As she did Gray who sat beside her turned around as well, both of them smirking with a rather weird expression.

"Wha-what?" he asked not liking how they seemed to give him the escalator look, before turning to look at each other.

"Should he have the first round?" Erza asked the ice mage, who nodded in return.

"It only seems fair" Gray smirked before turning his attention back on Natsu "Besides he might just kill him for arriving in his boxers"

"Indeed" Erza nodded stoically.

"What the heck are you on about? A round with who?" the Dragon Slayer crooked an eyebrow feeling rather annoyed.

"Me..." a booming and threatening voice came from behind him, causing him to flinch in horror. The feeling intensified as he heard the sound of the man cracking his knuckles, causing Natsu to have a rather haunted look on his face.

"La... aahhhh!" Natsu screamed in terror when he was suddenly sent flying, by the guild master's clenched fist. It only took a few seconds before the fire mage back collided with the wall, causing the air to get knocked out of his lungs.

"As your master, it's about time you learn your place!" Laxus said in a booming voice, as he stood towering above the frightened Dragon Slayer, electricity flickering all around his body

"I uhm..." Natsu sucked in his breath, a few droplets of cold sweat trickling down his forehead.

"Rule number one!" Laxus continued as he stood towering even higher above his foe "There will be no hanky panky in this guild, you got that?"

"... huh?"

"Second rule!" the blonde mage growled as he pushed Natsu against the wall, before raising a clenched fist that had a huge amount of threatening lightning flickering around it "And you better be listening, ya hear?"

"Ha-hai!" he shivered, the hair on his neck rising with fear.

"If you ever hurt her I will electrify each cell in your body, until your manhood falls off, got that?"

"Uh-huh"

"I say you got that?!" Laxus roared before slamming his fist against the wall, only a couple of millimetres away from his head.

"Yes sir!" Natsu managed to stutter, as more sweat started pouring down his body.

"Good..." the lightning mage nodded to himself as he used his free hand to reach into one of his pockets. Once he found what he was searching for, Laxus slammed it against Natsu's stomach, causing the boy to squeal in surprise.

"Third rule..." Laxus commanded as he stopped emitting lightning "... use that"

"Use what?" Natsu wondered as he looked at the package in his hands with huge imaginary question marks spawning all around him.

"You know what it is..." the guild master chuckled as he made his way to the bar, while waving dismissively.

"Eh?" he took more thoroughly at the item and it didn't take long before he realised what it was "Preservatives?!"

"According to Happy, you might have given him those a little too late" Erza chuckled as she made her way over to the Dragon Slayer accompanied by Gray, who had thrown his shirt off unconsciously.

"Oy!" Natsu raised his voice "We didn't do anything like that!"

"Sure you didn't" Erza said in a serious voice as she unsheathed her sword and pushed it against his neck, causing the Dragon Slayer to gasp "You would never take advantage of an innocent girl, just to fulfil your own desire"

"Yeah, he would never be so selfish" Gray snickered while slamming a clenched fist against his other hand causing ice to spawn on them.

"Guys...?" Natsu started fidgeting feeling nervous again, as the two suddenly had a murderous aura surrounding them.

"I mean him standing in boxers, must mean he was very appropriate towards her, right?" Gray chuckled wickedly.

"Indeed" Erza nodded, as both of their auras started to intensify, causing Natsu's body to shiver knowing that his doom would arrive very soon.

As he sat awaiting his fate, a mighty roar suddenly spawned before a body suddenly collided with Gray causing him to tumble over and knock Erza down on the ground with him.

"Lay one hand on him and I will kick your butts" Lucy in her Taurus Stardress yelled while pointing at the two mages she had knocked over.

"Luce!" Natsu beamed with happiness towards his saviour.

"You okay?" she asked keeping her eyes focused on Erza and Gray, who sat down with a sheepish look on their faces.

"Ye-yeah..." he answered while rubbing his neck "Thanks"

"Come on, it wasn't like we would do anything serious to him" Gray pouted looking mildly annoyed.

"Maybe not, but knowing you guys it would easily get out of hand and turn into a brawl" she placed her hands on her hip, sending them a challenging look.

"Your perception is good, I applaud your move" Erza smiled and got into a standing position "Very well, I shall not pursue this any further, however rest assured that I share the master's decision and will join him, if he ever hurts you"

The armoured woman turned to give Natsu a fierce look, to assure him that she was serious about her treat, causing him to shiver in fright once again.

"Uhm..." Lucy looked confused as she followed the woman with her eyes, as she walked back to the bar.

"I share her opinion" Gray sighed and got on his feet "Harm just one single hair and I will freeze your balls off"

"Seriously..." Natsu groaned loudly pretending that it didn't affect him, while turning to look up at the celestial mage.

"What happened?" the blonde enquired earning a deep sigh of frustration to escape the Dragon Slayer.

"Nothing really... something about rules and stuff" he slowly got up on his feet, feeling somewhat pissed all of a sudden.

 _How dare those idiots try to intimidate him like that?! If anything he would beat himself up harder than the three of them combined if he ever hurt Lucy._

 _Ohhh but he wanted payback..._

Thinking that, he could feel a rush of adrenaline rush through his system, making his skin prickle with excitement.

"Is something wrong?" Lucy asked in concern, before placing herself in front of him.

"Heh..." Natsu snickered playfully before placing his hands on the girl's shoulders, who sent him a puzzled look "... I do wonder..."

"About what?"

"Mmm" licking his lips there was a teasing glint in his eyes as he brought the girl closer to himself, causing her to blush.

"Uhm..." she trembled ever so slightly, looking rather nervous all of a sudden.

Not saying anything, Natsu gently took her left hand and kissed her guild mark.

"Ehh..." Lucy's entire body froze and turned slightly pink, the colour intensifying as his tongue slipped out of his mouth, trailing the skin up her arm and further up her neck until he eventually reached her eye. Stopping his action there he quickly kissed her mouth, before leaning backwards to look at a Lucy who looked super shocked.

Well she wasn't the only one, the entire guild had suddenly grown really quiet, almost as if everyone had suddenly decided that they didn't need to breathe anymore.

"What the heck was that?!" Gray was the first to say while pointing a shaking finger at the duo.

"Natsu..." Laxus growled furiously about to make his way over to punish the kid, but someone else beat him to it, because the Dragon Slayer's actions were not appreciated by his victim.

"You idiot!" Lucy snapped angrily as she raised her arm and slammed a clenched fist down on the pink haired brat's head, causing him to squeal and fall forwards, down on his face "what did you do that for, that was super disgusting!"

"Heh..." Natsu smirked while rubbing the sore lump on his head "... it was worth it"

"Worth what?!" she stomped with her foot, fuming with anger.

"It doesn't matter..." he answered cryptically while getting back on his feet.

"Mmm..." Lucy grumbled while tapping with her foot, still looking rather annoyed.

"I'm sorry, hey I know what will make you feel better" the Dragon Slayer smiled wholeheartedly.

"What...?" she pouted clearly not in the mood for more shenanigans.

"Breakfast! You always get grumpy when you're hungry" he grabbed her hand and started his way towards the bar, with the girl following close behind him.

"Now that you mention it I am kinda hungry..." Lucy admitted as they sat down, ready to make their order.

"What can I get for you lovesick kittens?" Mirajane asked while smiling profoundly at the two in turn.

"Pancakes!" Natsu said eagerly as images started rummaging through his mind, making him sit drooling at the prospect of eating the delicious food.

"How about you?" Mirajane asked Lucy, who sat ponding on it for a second before ordering pancakes as well.

"Let's find a table" Erza said from behind them, causing Natsu to squeak in surprise "We need to talk"

"Ohh kay" the Dragon Slayer's eyebrow flickered for a second, not feeling entirely confident about the situation. He followed her nonetheless and soon Lucy, Erza, Happy and Gray arrived there as well.

"So..." Natsu briefly exchanged a look with the celestial mage who was sitting next to him "... what's up?"

"Nothing much..." Gray answered while placing an arm on the table, before resting his head against his hand "... just wanted to make sure you guys are okay, after all we haven't seen you guys since we celebrated Natsu getting out of the hospital"

"That was only two days ago" Lucy said sounding curious "And it isn't like my apartment is that far away"

"Ohh but we couldn't be sure you guys were there" Erza nodded stoically to herself "and it is rather uncommon, not to have your presence here unless you're out on a mission"

"And considering his condition, we wanted to give that brat some space" Gray smirked knowingly "Besides it looks like a little nursing from a kind hearted person, was enough to get stuff moving in the romantic department"

"But we haven't..." Natsu started but stopped because Erza had raised her hand, demanded his immediate attention.

"Hush!" she said in a firm voice while shaking her head " I do not wish to partake in a discussion about what you have or haven't done"

"You just say that, because you haven't had any action with Jellal lately" the ice mage chuckled, until an armoured fist smashed against the ice mage's head with so much force, his head slammed against the table.

"... ehhh..." feeling rather nervous Natsu scratched his neck, not wanting to earn a hit like that.

"Speaking of that, it's been awhile since we heard from Crime Sorciere" Lucy wondered out loud, while rubbing her chin.

"Indeed" Erza sighed loudly "But then again, we knew it might take a while before they finish their mission"

"Mission?" the Dragon Slayer asked, but didn't get an answer right away because at that moment Mira-Jane arrived with two plates filled with pancakes, she very smoothly placed in front of her customers.

"Thank you" Lucy smiled brightly at the white haired woman who nodded in return.

"Yeah thanks!" Natsu said, looking confused as Mirajane also handed him a bundle of cloth "What's this?"

"A blanket" she answered politely "We don't want you catching a cold now do we"

"Ahhh no... thanks" he managed to say, before he quickly wrapped it around himself, creating a hoodie as well as he somewhat hid himself.

It wasn't just because it felt nice, but he was also slightly paranoid about Mirajane going into demonic mode, if he didn't follow what she had hinted about his lack of clothing.

"So what mission were you talking about?" Natsu asked before he started wolfing down his meal, while trying his best to follow the conversation as well.

"Crime Sorciere is out searching for any remains of Zeref's demons and creations that might not have been dealt with" Erza answered trying not to be bothered by the Dragon Slayer's loud way of eating.

"You might not know this" Gray spoke avoiding looking in Natsu's direction "But after the war Crime Sorciere was somewhat pardoned by the council, however to make sure that the world was indeed free from any more demonic creatures, Jellal offered to take his guild on the hunt for any remains. In exchange he pleaded that all crimes committed by his members was removed"

"Which was granted, however that stupid idiot thought he still needed to get punished for his crimes, so he did not wish to get pardoned" Erza grumbled in a vicious tone.

"What?!" Natsu yelled causing some of the food in his mouth to fly out and splash against the table "Why?!"

"Don't worry, the rest of Crime Sorciere refused to take that deal, because they demanded that Jellal was pardoned as well" Lucy said in a knowing tone "So once they return from the mission, they are all free to live a civil life, without having to live like refugees or hermits"

"Ohhh... neat!" the Dragon Slayer said in an eager tone, while emptying his plate.

"Yes, it is indeed neat as you proclaim" Erza smiled warmly looking rather satisfied.

"There is just one thing I want to know" Happy suddenly said, as he placed himself on top of the table "We never got to know whether or not E.N.D was romantically involved with Kyôka"

"... mmm..." Lucy growled her hand clenching the fork she was holding.

"We might never know" Natsu answered recalling the image of his demonic version, where his arm had been wrapped around the woman while both of them looked rather happy.

"I'm sure it's nothing..." Gray said in a nervous tone, noticing how a malicious aura spawned around the celestial mage.

"Yeah, don't worry about it" Natsu tried appealing to the girl, as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders "Besides it's in the past, right? There's no reason to..."

He didn't know how or why, but all of a sudden he felt something trying to drag his consciousness away, making him gasp loudly while his eyes widened with fear.

 _What was going on?_

Natsu briefly wondered as his heart suddenly started hammering violently inside his chest, making the blood rush almost loudly through his skull.

"What's wrong?" Lucy asked in concern sounding rather frightened.

Not knowing himself what was going on, his breathing seemed to become more staggered, until his vision started to blurry, while black spots started to appear.

"Natsu!" Lucy called his name, but he could barely hear it as his eyes suddenly rolled backwards, his entire body slumping over as he lost his consciousness.

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

Natsu had no idea what was going on, but for some reason he was suddenly falling, while being surrounded by darkness all around him.

 _What the heck was going on?!_

He thought feeling agitated by the entire situation. That was until he remembered that there was something similar to the darkness he had felt in a dream, back before the war where the demon had taken contact with him for the first time.

 _But the demon shouldn't be there any more?_

His body stopped falling, making him float in front of his own soul that was glistening in multiple colours, still formed like a sphere as it had the last time. Back then a orange ball had formed next to it, which was his demonic part but it was no longer there. However there was a really small bubble, which had something that looked like liquid gold inside of it.

"A memory" Natsu whispered, remembering that the demon had promised him, what felt like ages ago, that he had left something behind before he vanished.

Wondering what it was, he started focusing on his body feeling and searching for his spirit in his physical body down on a cellular level, causing small droplets from the ball that contained his pure glistening soul, to once more manifest so he had a physical form in that realm.

Feeling curious, but also prepared for the pain that was to come he extended his hand and gently grabbed the bubble.

Forming a cub with his hand under the shiny thing, he used his free hand to poke it causing the bubble to burst, making the liquid fall down into his hand.

"Ohh well, at least that bastard isn't here to force it down my throat" he shrugged and brought the fluid up to his mouth, making it flow into his mouth before swallowing it, hoping that the demon was correct and it wouldn't hurt so much the second time.

Thinking that he felt his throat starting to itch and prickle with pain, but fortunately it was nowhere near as painful as the first time. Nor was it as frightening when he felt the darkness suddenly drag him away, as he left his spiritual place to enter the lost memory.

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

It didn't take long before Natsu could move again and it took him only a few moments to realise that he was in E.N.D's body and evidently he was at some party with the guild members from Tartarus.

 _Great, this is just... great..._

"Oy!" Jackal's voice boomed and soon he spotted said person walking in such a weird way, that it was rather evident that he was drunk "I wanna challenge you!"

"Piss off!" Natsu heard himself say, which actually made him feel rather good.

"Ahhh come on!" the blonde demon moaned in such a childish tone, it sent a shiver down E.N.D and Natsu's spine.

"Is he bothering you?" Kyôka tilted her head to the side, throwing some of her hair over her shoulder.

"Ohhh..." Jackal smirked wickedly ignoring what she said "... so you really do want to go to my chamber"

"Disgusting..." the female demon snickered, her entire body flinching when the pesky idiot wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

"Cooome oooon, you and me..." the flirting Jackal tried kissing her, earning a growl from Kyôka.

"That's it!" E.N.D snarled in anger "I can to an extend accept your annoying attitude when you're sober, but I will not allow that you're harassing other guild mates!"

"Eh?" his target managed to say, before a clenched fist surrounded with black fire smashed into Jackal's face, causing the idiot to fly backwards until his body crashed into a huge cabinet, where he tumbled down and laid unconscious.

 _Heck yeah that felt soooooo good!_

"Thank you master" Kyôka bowed gracefully with her head.

"Ahh it was nothing" E.N.D smiled at the woman an idea suddenly spawning in his mind "Hey, you wanna dress him up and draw on his face"

"You mean... you wanna pull a prank on him with me?" she sent him a baffled look.

"Sure, it's been ages since we did anything fun together" his smile widened as he winked at her "so what do you say?"

"Yes... it would be an honour" Kyôka smiled sincerely as they made their way over to the unconscious demon, they immediately stripped down. Once that was over with they found a pink dress they managed to put Jackal in, before they started drawing on his face, while applying some rather unfortunate make-up on him, all the while the culprits kept giggling and exchanging looks with each other.

"Let's give him ponytails" Kyôka suggested, causing E.N.D to nod eagerly.

Once they had fixed his hair, Jackal looked rather fabulous or so they both agreed as they positioned themselves on the floor, laughing loudly.

"We should do this more often" E.N.D chuckled as he placed his arm around Kyôka's shoulder "My new partner in crime"

"Yes, master" the female demon smiled wholeheartedly her cheeks blushing ever so slightly.

"Hang on a second" Seilah said as she suddenly stood before them with a book in her hands "I will draw this as an evidence of your success"

"Awesome!" he smiled towards Kyôka "Let's remember this as the day we form team: we hate Jackal"

"Yes, let us do that, master"

After that they just sat talking, Seilah joining in on their conversation once she finished her drawing.

"Mard Geer approves of this new look" Mard said as he eyed Jackal up and down.

"Come join us" E.N.D encouraged him while motioning with his hand. Not saying anything the stoic demon sat down next to Seilah, his cheeks blushing for some reason.

In fact Mard seemed to look rather uncomfortable as he sat fidgeting with his hands while casting small glances at the long haired woman beside him.

That moment E.N.D swore to himself that he would use all means necessary to get those two to kiss each other before the night was over. Even if that meant using a trick or two!

Unbeknownst to him, he wouldn't need to do that, because it happened without him having to do anything at all.

So besides that the rest of the night went by with the demons celebrating and having fun until the break of dawn. It was a smashing party and one that Natsu almost wish he hadn't witnessed because he saw a side of the demon's he didn't expect.

Once the time came E.N.D made his way to his own quarters, where he crashed on his bed and after a few seconds, the demon was fast asleep snoring loudly.

So was Natsu, as his spirit left the memory and entered the world of dreams.

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

The Dragon Slayer didn't know for how long he was out, but the sun was up once his eyes shot open making him stare up at a rather white ceiling, he didn't recognise at first.

Grunting and still feeling rather exhausted, Natsu slowly got into a sitting position where he sat scanning his surroundings, making him realise rather fast that he was back at the hospital.

 _Ohh snap..._

Feeling like facepalming himself he let out a groan, as he sat staring outside. Not thinking about anything in particular he noticed that Lucy was curled up on a chair next to him, sleeping ever so peacefully.

She looked absolutely amazing, with her long blonde hair falling down above her soft skin, that he felt an urge to touch it. Not because of desire, but Natsu just felt like he needed her to be closer to him.

"Luce..." he called making her stir a bit "... oy, Luce"

"Mmm..." she slowly opened her eyes and once they spotted him, she yelped in surprise before launching herself at him, engulfing him in tight hug.

"Ohh!" he said while returning the gesture "There's no need to assault me you know"

"You just fainted all of a sudden" she sniffled while crying against his shoulder "It... really scared me"

"I'm sorry..." giving her body a squeeze he rested his jaw on her head.

"... you better be..."

"It kinda wasn't my fault though"

"What do you mean?"

"I got sucked into a meditative state, where my demonic part had left a memory for me"

"Ohh!" Lucy gasped "Please tell me about it"

"It might take a while..."

"Okay..." she chuckled while crawling up onto the bed, where she through motional gestures encouraged him to lay down. Obeying her silently, they got comfortable making them lay down beside each other, where they looked into each other's eyes, only a few centimetres separating them.

At first Natsu wasn't sure what to say, but once he started talking it wouldn't stop. He explained about the party and how they made a makeover on Jackal making him look more dashing. Which caused both of them to laugh, before he continued.

As the story was about to reach it's end, tears suddenly started falling down his cheeks. It wasn't because he felt sad or anything, but they just spawned which he barely noticed.

"Are you okay?" Lucy asked when he finally reached the conclusion, sending him an affectionate look.

"Yeah..." he removed the tears, but more kept coming "... not sure why I'm crying..."

"Perhaps your soul is sad because you lost a vital part of yourself" she suggested "with E.N.D gone, you're now missing something you can't replace. Besides it must be hard seeing your past, where you spent time with your friends, knowing that all of them are gone. Especially because the demon in you never got to say goodbye and now you must feel his pain and sorrow for that loss"

Something seemed to click inside of him, causing his sadness to increase in volume. It wasn't just his past and his demonic side he had to say goodbye to, it was also all the memories the demon had, which he would never regain.

His demonic part had not been purely evil and he had lived a life, that would never get acknowledged by anyone. Nobody would remember what he did, nor would anyone know that the demonic guild was so much more than a bunch of bad demons.

All of that seemed to wash over Natsu, causing his face to twist in pain before he grabbed Lucy and started crying loudly against her chest.

It was all just so weird and sad, that he couldn't stop the tears from falling.

Laying there Lucy didn't say anything but kept stroking his hair, while occasionally kissing him, which he very much appreciated.

It felt good letting it all out, while being comforted by the girl he liked the most.

After a while the crying stopped, making him lay rather exhausted against the girl's bosom.

 _They really were good for more than grabbing..._

Natsu didn't know how long he laid there, but eventually he got a hold of his own feelings.

"Thank you..." he whispered in a hoarse and used voice.

"Any time..." Lucy said in a fragile, yet very gentle tone before placing a soft kiss on his forehead "... my idiot"

"Heh..." holding on tighter to the girl the Dragon Slayer raised his head to look into her magnificent brown eyes, that looked so kind and beautiful. Heck, if he was a poet he might have said something amazing, but currently he had no idea what to say that would sound like a compliment.

 _Your eyes remind me of a turd I saw the other day!_

 _Naaah, better not..._

"Feeling better?" Lucy asked still caressing his hair.

"Yeah... a bit tired though..."

"Then you should rest for a bit"

"That's okay?"

"Of course you silly moron" she chuckled brightly "If you're tired you need sleep, right?"

"Neat!" he snickered while rubbing his head affectionately against Lucy's soft pillows.

 _Best girlfriend, ever!_

Actually he did feel super drowsy, which made perfect sense because saying goodbye can be a hard thing to acknowledge, much less do without feeling sad about it. Sometimes it was necessary in order to move forwards though and depending on the circumstances, it was vital in order to accept the future. To take a leap of faith and see what would come down the road, without being bound by the sorrows of the past.

Natsu and Lucy would do the same, but fortunately they had found a reliable ally in each other. Not only to love and hold, but so be that partner that would secure a long lasting life, where they could live free of worries such as war or demons rising.

The future for all of the survivors was bright as the morning sun, warming each and everyone with the promise of a new beginning and a new tomorrow. After all that ends might rise again starting a new set of possibilities and limits, that would ultimately all reach their end as well.

* * *

 **A/N:** Aaaaand cut! That was it! I hate endings... and wow, this took forever to finish. Seriously it's been over a year since I posted this and before that I used half a year on creating the theory and storyline. So it... has been really interesting and I am truly sad it's all over.

But then again I am already planing and typing the next story, which I currently call "Origin: Dragneel and the Dark Dragon"

I plan on posting it all when I'm finished typing the entire story, so stay tuned for when that gets uploaded, if you think it sounds interesting :)

I wanna thank everyone for joining me on this story's journey! It doesn't matter who you are, but as long as you've enjoyed at least something in this story, then that makes me incredibly happy :)

Natsu: "H doesn't know what to say, so I'm gonna say it for her: Thanks for tuning in, we hope you have a nice day and that we see each other in another story!"

H: "What he said! Have a nice one kittens 3"

/H


End file.
